Iron Grip
by Samtastic Sami
Summary: Bella gets arrested, and is one of many juvenile delinquents sent away to boot camp in the Washington State Penitentiary.Feuds begin, and then somehow love falls into the mix of fist fights, crimes, and hate.Beware of violence and language mild.All human.
1. Chapter 1

I sat at the metal table under the flickering lights. I propped my feet up and leaned back into the chair, so that it was resting on just the two back legs. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and looked through the barred window of the door patiently. I quickly glanced to myself and saw my reflection in the one way window, where they were silently watching me.

"Bella," my dad addressed me gruffly. "Feet down, young lady. Now, do you plan on telling me what happened?"

I looked him in the eye and thought about it.

_2 hours ago._

"_Yo, Chinkz, get over here! And make sure Sasquatch and Ferret face are with you," I whispered to my friend. I don't know how they came up with their names, but I never gave much thought about it in the first place._

"_Yeah, we're here, Cat." Yeah. That was their nickname for me – Cat, just like the animal. They said it was because I could sneak around and not get caught just like a cat burglar, and because I was as fierce as a tiger, but they claimed I looked more like a kitten. But I guess I wasn't so innocent, seeing as I was here in the police station._

"_You got the goods?" I asked the guys. All three of them nodded their heads, awaiting my instructions._

_I retied the laces of my black combat boots that went up to my shin. Yes, I wore them everywhere; it was either these shoes, or my black chucks. I dusted down my black pants and black shirt, and slipped on my black leather gloves. I tied up my hair into a ponytail quickly, and decided I was ready._

"_C'mon guys. Let's go. It's now or never."_

_We all put our fists in before breaking. We made our way across the lawn of the large white mansion. I stopped at the door._

"_Jackknife," I said, and held my hand out. A larger hand placed the knife in my hand, and I got cracking, and seconds later, I had the door open. _

"_Thanks, Chinkz," I said as I handed the knife back to one of my closest friends. We've been together since kindergarten, and now, as juniors, we were risking our futures by doing this. No high school, college, or employer would ever want us._

_I did a few hand gestures, and they understood the signal._

_We took our cans of spray paint, and started vandalizing the downstairs._

"_Ow! Shit! What the hell was that?" I said as I looked around. I looked down and saw the fluffball that was a dog staring back at me. _

"_Hey Princess. What a pleasant surprise seeing you again." I grabbed the dog and made her regret every bite, scratch and growl she's ever done._

_I set her back on the ground, shaved and now purple. _

"_Take that, Lauren. I hope you enjoy being with your mongrel. You two are definitely both dogs." I grinned evilly to myself in anticipation. _

_We teepeed the entire living room, throwing rolls of toilet paper back and forth to each other. We made our way upstairs, spraying paint wherever we could._

"_You got the pig?" Sasquatch nodded his head and cut the rope that hung loosely around the pig's neck._

"_Go, my pretty, go! Wreak havoc, my darling," and I copied the cackling from the evil witch of the Wizard of Oz._

_We did our best to muffle our laughter._

"_Now, we walk into the lair of the devil herself. I guess the devil does wear Prada," I muttered._

"_Yeah, and Guess, Coach, Chanel, Gucci, and any other major designer," said Chinkz. I chuckled with my best friend._

_While the devil slept in her pink, oversized bed, her now shaved and purple mutt cowered under the bed, and we started spraying over her walls, everything we ever wanted to say to her but had to hold in. _

_I walked over to where she lay. I took the bottle and poured its contents into her blonde hair._

_Hehehehehehehe. This was going to be good._

"_Guys, I think we caused enough trouble. Let's go." _

_We quickly filed out of the now trashed house. I wondered if they would ever suspect the four of us._

_And then the piercing scream hit us._

"_AHHHHH! My hair! Why is it GREEN?!" We busted our guts laughing._

"_Mom! Dad! Call 911! Help!"_

"_Oh no! guys, hurry!" _

"_Hold on just one moment, Isabella Swan."_

_I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around to face the nasally voice that had spoken to me. I looked her up and down._

"_Green is a good color on you, Lauren. I find it hard to believe that we used to be best friends," I said as I shook my head. Her face started turning a deep red. "Well, it looks like someone is early for Christmas," I chuckled, and the gang busted out laughing behind me._

"_AHHHHHHHH!!!!" she screeched before charging at me. She stopped right in front of me, claws ready for battle, but she just stood there._

"_Well, what are you waiting for?" I asked. She looked confused, but shrugged it off and slapped me across the face._

"_Bella! Why didn't you strike first?" Chinkz asked from behind me._

"_Because, I'm smart."_

_And then all hell broke loose. I smacked her six ways to Sunday, and made sure her grandchildren would feel the pain from her now broken nose. Oh well, she could always get a new one. It wasn't as if the one I just broke wasn't different from the one she was born with. Eventually we ended up locked in each other's grip. Her hand held tightly to my hair, while I gripped her hair as well. I made sure I pulled out a couple of roots._

_And then I heard the sirens._

"_Damn it," I cussed under my breath. "Guys, get outta here!" I called out to them._

"_We ain't leaving ya Bells!" they said. "Get outta here!" I growled, "Or I will make you leave. Don't make me unleash Lauren's wrath upon you!" _

"_We'll be back to bust ya out, Bella," they called before they high tailed it._

"_What's going on here?" the police officer asked as he shined his flashlight in our direction._

"_Bella?" came the shocked voice. "Your father will not be happy._

_Would I rat out my friends? No. I could take the rap on my own. I was a big girl._

"Dad, everything was my fault. I worked alone. C'mon, put me in the clink," I said, holding my arms out, ready to be cuffed.

"Bella, Bella," he said, shaking his head side to side. "Okay. Well, I guess you'll have to remain here until I finish filing the report."

They had put me in a cell by myself. My father used his advantages to get me my own cell, so I could me away from the other criminals. I had to remind my dad that I was one of those criminals now. He didn't think that joke was very funny.

"Bella," my dad appeared outside of my cell, "your trial is in 2 days. I'm taking you home now. You better think about what you did. Do you know how disappointed I am? I hope you realize how embarrassing this whole situation is for me. If you don't straighten out, you don't want to know what's going to happen to you, Isabella."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" I mocked him with a salute.

And two days later, I waited with my mom and dad as the jury consulted for the verdict.

"Isabella Marie Swan?" "Right here," I answered as the bailiff led me inside the courtroom.

"Has the jury come to a unanimous decision?" the judge asked.

"Yes, we have."

"And what is your verdict?"

"We find, Isabella Marie Swan…"

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**I would never hurt an animal! I promise!**


	2. Verdict

**Verdict**

"_And what is your verdict?"_

"_We find, Isabella Marie Swan…"_

"Guilty," the juror answered the judge.

I hung my head from shame. My lawyer patted my shoulder and apologized. I just shook my head. I ruined everything. What would my father do now? If he refused me, if he disowned me, I don't think I would be able to survive. Sure, I could get a job somewhere like Burger King, but I don't think I'd be able to live with the heartbreak of not having my father with me.

"How do you find Miss Swan on the charge of trespassing?"

"Guilty."

"How do you find Miss Swan on the charge of vandalism?"

"Guilty."

"How do you find Miss Swan on the charge of assault?"

"Guilty."

"I object!" I yelled angrily as I quickly looked up to face the judge and the juror.

"I did not attack Lauren. It was self defense. She struck first. I have my rights, too!" I said determinedly.

"Where is your proof of this Miss Swan? Were there witnesses that you would like to tell us about now?" the judge asked skeptically.

I chanced a glance over at Lauren. She was smirking wildly through all that gauze she was wrapped in.

Sure, a lot of that gauze was because of me, but Chinkz had told me she had some work done, ergo even more gauze. She knew she had me trapped. I would never snitch on my friends.

_Damn it!_

"No, your honor," I muttered before looking back at my lawyer, who just shook his shoulders. Damn you, Sam Uley! Officially the worst lawyer in history!

"We find Miss Swan guilty on all four charges of assault."

"Well," the judge began, "she _is _a minor, not officially eighteen yet, correct?" he directed the question to me.

"Yes sir."

"She barely turned seventeen," Mr. Uley explained. Yeah, _now_ he speaks up in hopes of helping me. Like it'll make a difference in my punishment.

"Well, as a minor, I won't have her causing problems in a federal juvenile facility, so I am sentencing her to a 10 months in boot camp." He banged his gavel before getting himself up off his chair.

I turned to face my dad and put a look of remorse on my face. I really was sad.

"I'm sorry dad, mom," I said honestly. I don't regret standing up for myself and showing backbone, but I did regret the way I had done it. I should have just confronted the little witch, rather than get sent to that correctional facility.

And yes, I was charged with _4_ counts of assault. Don't ask just yet. It was a long story.

"Bells, I forgive you. I'm sorry; all this is my fault," my dad said.

"It was _our_ fault. I'm sorry, too, Bella. We should have been better parental figures. I guess we never really did set a good example with all that fighting we did. That's what did it, huh baby? I'm so, so sorry Bella, baby," my mom cooed, with tears in her eyes.

Both of my parents hugged me, and the bailiff escorted me out.

"So, what happens now?" I asked the big hulk of a man.

"Well, I'm taking you over to the vehicle that will be driving you over to the correction facility,"

"The boot camp?" I interrupted? I hated it when people used fancier, less extreme words to make bad things seem worse than they really were; it really made things much worse. I only wanted to hear things that were true, and I only wanted to see what was real. I may have been someone tough charged with assault, but I wasn't a liar. I was the most honest criminal if there ever was one. I've never even cheated on tests or homework.

"Yes," he answered stiffly, annoyed with my cutting in, and he continued, "And you will be taken to the _boot camp,_ where you will remain for 10 months. Once you arrive, they will explain things to you more thoroughly." I simply nodded.

Away from my parents and friends for 10 months? How would I last?

Chinkz tried calling me over the past few days, ever since I got caught, but I just ignored his calls. I loved my best friend more than anyone in the world, but I couldn't really talk with anyone right now, especially with my dad around, and I'm sure that he would catch on and figure out that Chinkz and our other friends were also in it.

I sighed as I was chained to the seats of the car, and I looked through the barred divider between the backseat and the middle seat. I saw some blonde driver.

"Good morning, Miss Swan. I'm Carlisle. I work over at the facility. We're very pleased to have you joining us!"

Too cheery. And seriously, why was he acting like it was a happy camp rather than _boot_ camp? He was pleased to have me there? He wanted more criminals? Did he _honestly_ enjoy being around delinquents? Something wrong with this guy.

"My name is Bella," I simply stated before looking out the window.

Two hours later, I was in a wooded part of Washington, I guessed along the outskirts of Olympia, and I could smell the ocean air, but couldn't see it. We were driving along a dirt path, so I knew this camp was in a very secluded area.

Fifteen minutes later, we drove up to the 20 foot chain linked fence with barbed wire at the top.

There was a small section of the gate that slid open when Carlisle flashed his badge to the security guard who held a tazer with him. Poor guy; he looked bored to death.

"Well, Bella, I think you're really going to like it here," Carlisle chirped cheerfully.

Great.

"So, let me explain everything to you, kiddo!" He. Did. Not. Just. Say. That.

"Okay, well, we have a visiting period every 2 months, not too bad, and your sleeping periods are from 9pm to 5am,"

"_FIVE!" _I screeched with disbelief coloring my tone.

"Yep," the ever cheerful 'counselor' said, "Everyone here in this facility ranges from fifteen to seventeen years old, and are here for similar reasons. Don't worry, no one here is a murderer or rapist," he chuckled. How could he be laughing about something like that?

"Let me get you your uniform! Wait; hold on, what size are you?"

"Um, small?" I said uncertainly.

"Okay, your bunk is settled! The trunk has your size in there, but you must come with me to get your shoes!" He actually clapped and hopped over to a shed like room. Was he gay?

We stepped inside and there were rows of black combat boots. Wow! They were just like the ones I wore at home, except they were only ankle high.

"What size are you Bella?" Carlisle asked as he looked around the smaller section of shoe sizes.

"Uh, four."

"Okay, here you are dear!" he said as he handed them to me.

We were ready to leave the shed, but with his back turned to me, I noticed the shelf of shin high ankle boots, much better than the ankle highs. I checked that Carlisle wasn't looking, and quickly switched the shoes I was holding with the first pair of boots I laid eyes on.

Yes! They were my size! I guess luck would stay for a little while, even if it only was in the form of shoes.

"Why, hello Esme!" I saw Carlisle bat his eyelashes at a beautiful caramel colored hair woman that flowed past her shoulders, cascading in waves, with an officer's uniform on. It was black, and accented her pale skin quite well, and ended above her knees. I recognized the uniform and all its patches, but couldn't place what field she had worked in. she caught me staring and smiled.

"Hello, my name is Esme. I see you've met my husband, Carlisle," she said, gesturing to the pale blonde chatterbox beside me. I hope she already knew his problem.

"You must be Bella," she extended a long slender hand and I shook it, "we will help you get settled as nicely as possible."

"Settled in as nicely as possible?" I asked her, questioning her sanity.

"Yes. I know they say this is boot camp and it's supposed to be hard, but when I took over, I wanted to change that. Abusing you kids won't make you better. From my years' of experience, 76% of the children that come through here later on do go to jail because of the techniques that had used to discipline. I promise you, no abuse takes place. We have guards every where and many teachers are retired from a certain field in the government." She gave me a warm smile, and I couldn't help but return it with one of my own. There was something so warm and reassuring about her, and Carlisle, too.

As much as I knew it would suck, I had this feeling that my situation could have been a lot worse.

I looked back down at her patches.

"Um, excuse me, Esme? If you don't mind me asking, but, what was your previous line of duty? My dad is a police officer, so I know a couple of different uniforms, but I just don't recognize yours," I asked her.

"Oh, I don't usually get that question," she chuckled, mainly to herself, "but I was in the air force." She saw me glance questioningly at Carlisle, and answered my unspoken question. "Carlisle worked as the receptionist of the base, so that's where we met and just kind of hit it off," she laughed with a wink at me before gazing up at her husband's eyes adoringly.

How old could they have been? They looked very young.

"Well, let's get you settled," Esme said as Carlisle and I trailed after her.

"Okay, this is very different, but because we are at a lack of room, our cabins only being for two people, you'll be sharing with a boy. We've never done co-ed before, so if you feel uncomfortable, just let us know. I'm sure any of the other girls here wouldn't mind taking your place," Esme said with a grin that grew wider as she took in my confused expression.

"Ah, that's my Eddie boy, being a ladies man," Carlisle chuckled.

"You know he doesn't like being called Eddie," Esme scolded as she playfully slapped Carlisle's arm.

Great, as if it couldn't get worse, I was stuck with a player. I would have to make things very clear that there would be no funny business going on in those bunks, and the pants stay on at all times.

"Two people per cabin?" I asked curiously. Of all the movies I'd seen, it was usually just a giant space with a bunch of bunks that made up the sleeping quarters.

"Like I said, Bella, I made a lot of changes. I added dividers to the sleeping quarters, so it is more like rooms, but I also added two more extra buildings so there is plenty of space. I'm sure you can imagine how limited space is," she said sympathetically, "and I want to provide the best environment possible."

"We both love children," Carlisle explained.

"We just can't have any," Esme said, and they both seemed crestfallen.

I nodded silently, feeling bad for the couple, who seemed too kind and loving to deserve that.

"Well, here's your cabin," they said as they led me to a door that was next to many, but from what I could tell, it wasn't small; it seemed to be very long if you looked from the side. Now I could see why they couldn't have too many of us here.

But, then again, who would want to be watching a multitude of delinquents? Even if they were like Esme and Carlisle, nobody would be crazy to take on more than the amount already here.

"Okay, just go in. your roommate, Edward, should be back later. We told him to expect a new roommate later on, so he will explain everything else. Breakfast is served at the mess hall at 5:45am. Plenty of time to be bathed and dressed in uniform. Your schedule is the same as Edward's, so he'll be showing you the ropes of everything around here," Esme said with a wink before leaving me by myself.

I took a big gulp of air and opened the door. I released it, seeing that nobody was inside with the darkness. I stepped in and easily found the light switch.

"Whoa," I gasped as I took in the mess that awaited me. Clothes were strewn all over the floor, but at least it wasn't smelly. I walked past the first door, which was closed, and opened it.

I stood in awe, staring at the wall of CDs galore. Every band I could think of was there. It was as if he robbed Hot Topic, but then I noticed he had other music too, and all within my ranges of taste.

"I will definitely be liking Mr. Edward here," I muttered to myself. I looked around and noticed how bare the room was excluding the wall of music. There was a lone bed in the corner with navy blue sheets, and a trunk at the foot of the bed.

I walked down the slim corridor through the second door and noticed how bare it was. The navy blue sheets were folded at the foot of the bed, and the trunk was there. I opened it and saw the piles of folded uniform.

I went to the third and last door, and it was just a bathroom with towels that were colored, you guessed it, navy blue.

It felt lonely and desolate here.

I turned to walk back to what was supposed to be my room but smacked into a brick wall.

"Oof!" was all I got out as the air rushed out of my lungs. I would have fallen if I hadn't landed against the bathroom door, which, thankfully, I had closed, and a pair of arms gripped my waist to steady me.

I stared into a pair of deep emerald eyes that were furiously boring into mine, and my mind just went blank.

* * *

**A/N: Cliffhanger I hope! I can't really tell, my writing is just too random. Sort of a filler, but it holds important details that led up to where Bella is now. I'm sure you've already guessed who she has walked into.**

**Please review!**

**It's Christmas vacation, so enjoy! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Introductions

**A/N: Chapter 3! Finally, bout time I got it up. Sorry I'm so slow, but sleeping is a hobby of mine. Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"_Oof!" was all I got out as the air rushed out of my lungs. I would have fallen if I hadn't landed against the bathroom door, which, thankfully, I had closed, and a pair of arms gripped my waist to steady me._

_I stared into a pair of deep emerald eyes that were furiously boring into mine, and my mind just went blank._

"Did you go in my room?" the man with emerald eyes demanded, his arms now gripping my upper arms tightly, his nose practically touching mine.

Well, he wasn't exactly a man, and he wasn't a boy either, so just a guy, someone my age. But I guess he could be classified as a boy.

I just glared back at him. "Did you go into my room?!" he yelled again, this time trying to shake me.

"No!" I screamed in his face and pushed him back, both of us huffing with anger.

"I simply opened the door to see if it was free. I saw that it wasn't, so I moved onto the next room. I didn't go into your room, much less touch your things," I replied calmly. Somehow I was able to compose myself, and it took all of my will power to not snap at him again.

"Ugh. Can't believe I got a girl for a roommate," he scoffed as he walked back into his room.

That set me off. A girl? That's how he saw me? Well, any normal girl wouldn't be here, so he better learn to think before he opens that mouth of his.

I followed after him and slammed my fist into his closed door.

"What?" he said clearly irritated.

"Look here, buddy. I'm not just a girl. I can keep up with the guys just as easily, so lay off," I yelled in his face, poking his chest to emphasize my words. This time I turned on my heel and walked into my room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

I reviewed what had happened in my head, but all I could come up with was that that guy was _hot_. All I could see was the way his auburn-bronze hair hung over his emerald eyes in a messy, but still utterly gorgeous, way and how his well defined muscles were clearly visible through his shirt. I sighed.

I've never been intrigued by a guy before, but this guy just really took the cake. What was his name? I think Esme said Edward.

I heard light footsteps outside of my door, followed by a hesitant knock.

I opened the door and was surprised to see the boy standing there in new clothes, an outfit that wasn't stained with mud, and his hair was dripping wet. I guessed he took a shower. I was probably too wrapped up in my thoughts to even notice.

"May I help you?" I asked him flatly.

"Um, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. That was very rude of me, and I wasn't acting like a proper gentleman like I should have." He looked down, blushing.

"Really? Because I thought I felt the warmth of a welcome emanating from you with that wonderful hello," I said sardonically.

"Well someone definitely has an attitude problem," he growled.

"Yes, I do, but that's not what got me here. So if that'll be all, you may go back to your music store." I was ready to close the door in his face, but he quickly shot his hand out to stop me.

"Look, I'm in charge of you, so please listen. Can we at least _try_ to get to know each other a little better?" he pleaded, trying to make an effort.

"Fine." I stopped trying to close the door and I let it slam against the wall from the force the boy was putting on it.

"Oops," was all he said as the doorknob left a dent in the wall. I just shrugged, not really caring. I followed him as he led me into his room, and I sat on his bed as he instructed.

"I'm Bella," I said in a voice that I hoped was civil.

"Edward," he answered, extending a hand for me to shake. But then again, I was wrong, as usual.

Rather than shake my hand, as I had expected, he lifted it to his lips and left a kiss, grinning at the shocked expression on my face. I know he said he wanted to be a gentleman, but that was too much. His touch left tingles that were an electric shock, and it felt nice.

But then I remembered what Esme and Carlisle had said, that many girls would have taken my place to be with him because Edward was a ladies man, so I quickly withdrew my hand.

I just looked around the room, which was basically just a bed and CDs.

"They let you keep all of those?" I asked him as I gestured towards the giant wall of albums.

"Yeah. After I got sent here, my parents dropped off all my things, which would be those CDs, and then pretty much disowned me."

"Oh." That was all I said. Just 'oh'. Way to show human emotions and be kind! I mentally slapped myself for that.

"Sorry to hear that," I mumbled before looking up to meet his gaze. I was immediately lost in the depth and intensity of them.

"So, what got you in here?" I asked, trying to find something to lighten the mood. If there was one thing I knew, it was that I took pride in what I had done like everybody else here. I guess I was right.

"Well," he said with a cocky grin on his face, "I'm here for assault. Guy on my football team pissed me off, and it was only a matter of time before I snapped. My brother and best friend joined in on the fight, so they're here, too." He seemed happy about that, but it soon vanished.

"But the guy we fought, _Mike_," he said the name with such distaste, I could almost imagine why he would start a fist fight; heck, I'd probably join in on that fight. Anything for a good time, "he's also here. So, I try my best to not get angry with him so close by. I don't want to spend extra time here." He just shook his head as if he was trying to get out the memories.

"So why are you here?" he said with a smug grin, obviously trying to change the subject. The way he was grinning looked like he was trying to say 'top that!', and I knew I could. That grin was quite nice on his face, all gorgeous and breath-taking…

I quickly snapped out of it to answer him before he thought I was retarded or something. I grinned back smugly, anticipating his reaction.

"I'm here because I was charged with trespassing," his grin grew because he thought that was it, but that was just the beginning, "vandalism, and four counts of assault."

His smile faltered for a moment before tried to redeem himself.

"You lie. There's no way you took on four people. Unless those were separate times," he said, trying to dominate me.

"Nope. Trespassed one of my schoolmate's house. Trust me, you would've done the same. Vandalized the place and died her hair green, shaved her dog, too before I got into a catfight with that blonde airhead," I shook my head in disgust, "but at least I got away unscathed. Poor Lauren wasn't so lucky. Bruises and a broken nose," I just laughed, remembering how fun it was getting my revenge. "I actually know how to fight. My dad is chief of the officers over where I'm from, so he taught me how to take care of myself."

He just shrugged. "You took on another girl, so what? You didn't say anything about the other three assaults."

"Fine. One of the Deputies came, Deputy Mark," I lowered my gaze before continuing, "yeah, he's quite young, joined last year right outta high school. I didn't take him on because he had someone waiting for him at home, pregnant." I shook my head, disgusted that he would do that. I remembered all those times he tried forcing himself on me, and how I always shot him down. But one time he was especially forceful and violent, cracked two of my ribs, but I was able to overpower him. I thought I hurt him enough so that he wouldn't be able to have kids anymore, but I guess I was wrong. I didn't tell Charlie, because I didn't want things going too far, and I knew how to take care of myself.

Edward must've noticed the change in my expression, because my voice was probably as bitter as my face.

"I didn't want to deal with that specific bastard, so I ran away. Three more officers came and tried following me as I hopped fences and whatnot. I made sure that my friends got away. Yeah, well, they eventually got close enough to tazer me, so they did. It hurt like hell," I almost winced at the memory, but caught myself before I showed any sign of weakness. I lifted my shirt and showed him the burn mark on my lower back. He gasped, shocked, and there was an emotion on his face that I couldn't quite place. Was it anger?

"Yeah, so they caught up to me, and I tried crawling away. One of them grabbed me by my ankle, so I fought back. Kicked him right in the face and broke his jaw. I was able to get up, but it's hard to run after you've been electrocuted, so I just went for kicks. Broke three ribs on the second officer, and the third, well, let's just say that having kids probably won't be an option for him," I said, winking at Edward, and I giggled in triumph as I looked at his baffled expression. His jaw hung open and I closed it with my hand.

"Well, I'm not too sure about the injuries, because I only heard about them through my dad, Charlie."

"You took down three officers after being tazered? You're incredible. I don't know how you got caught and ended up here," he said while shaking his head, probably to take that dazed expression off his face. "You are officially the toughest guy here," he said in awe. I just raised my eyebrow.

"Well, not _guy_, but I would definitely be hiding behind you if I got scared," he said with a chuckle.

"You, scared? Yeah, right!" I said while laughing.

"Hm, I wonder if you could beat my brother Emmett in a fight," he mused aloud.

"Well, as much as I'd love to know the answer to that, I wouldn't want to cripple him," I guffawed.

"It's official, I am hanging out with you. You should scare off all the bullies here, use you as my weapon," he said as he poked me in the ribs.

I hissed in pain.

"What? Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" he questioned worriedly.

I lifted my shirt again and showed him a second tazer burn.

He closed his eyes and just shook his head again. "You amaze me," he said with a bitter smile.

"Well, let's go. It's time for dinner. You better change," he said, looking me up and down, to examine my outfit I thought hopefully. That would be weird if he was looking at me that way because he was checking me out.

"Why are you so dressed up?" he asked as he pointed to my outfit. I looked down and sighed. I had forgotten that I was still in this suit-like thing with a skirt. A _skirt._ I know, disgusting. But, if it was the only way to please my parents, then so be it.

"My trial was today. Right after I was charged guilty over and over again, they shipped my off here with nothing." I dropped my arms to my sides noisily.

"When did all of these events take place exactly, Bella?"

"Two days ago."

"Wow, they work fast. How long are you here for?"

"Eh, 10 months. That's manageable I guess. What about you?" I asked him.

I went into my room to change into the blue uniform. When I came back out, he answered me.

"I've been here for bought two months. I'm stuck here for another 9 ½ months."

"Okay. Well, hopefully it's good here," I said doubtfully.

"Esme and Carlisle take good care of us. They've been considering retiring soon, but they're not too sure because they're afraid that the person who takes over will be harsh."

"How old are they, exactly?" I was so curious, because the two of them looked so young.

"Um, late forties I believe."

"Wow, talk about aging gracefully," I muttered to myself.

"That's what I thought when I first met them. I think they're kinda early for retiring, but they've got a lot of money saved up."

I nodded my head and let him lead me out towards the mess hall.

"Ready for your first dinner here, Miss Bella?" he asked, exaggerating the part of a gentleman and I just shoved him away when he offered me his arm.

I think I might actually like it here.

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**A/N: I hoped you liked it! I don't have time to check my work, so if it sucks or has improper grammar or spelling, please ignore! Read more! Please review!**

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	4. Fight! Fight!

**A/N: Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, put on favorites and story alert for Iron Grip. **

**Just so you all know, this is all human!!! Sorry for the confusion.**

**Enjoy!**

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**FIGHT! FIGHT!**

"Cullen!" the attending officer barked at me, "Get your ass back here and run through this course again! Not fast enough!"

I rolled my eyes and jogged back to Sergeant Banner. I swear, someone was bound to cut out his tongue one of these days, just to get him to shut up.

Emmett, Jasper and I found some duct tape and wrapped it up as a present for Sgt. Banner once we found out it was his birthday, our sorta prank.

Just for that, he made everyone in the camp run laps around the entire perimeter along the fences for an hour. He had insisted on two, but Esme stopped him.

I sighed and went through the entire course again.

_Right, left, right, left, _was the mantra I repeated in my head as I flew over the tires with ease, and then I crawled under the barbed wires that stretched on for about 20 feet, getting covered in mud throughout the process. Next I climbed over the wall using the rope, and found my way down onto the other side only to find I would have to swing from the ropes. Finally, I went through the dull process of completing the obstacle course, but even though my time was better than anyone else's here, it was never enough for Sgt. Banner.

"Fine. You're dismissed Cullen." It's about time!

"Sir, yes, sir!" I saluted before marching off towards my cabin.

Gosh, I hated that man. I've already run the course five times today, but he still insists on working me to death! And what worried me was that he would be next in line to take over the camp.

"Edward! Can you please come over here?" I looked up and saw Esme gesturing for me to come towards her to talk. I wondered what was up.

I loved Esme as if she were my own mother, more than, actually, and she told me everything that went on here, and I told her everything that I needed to. She was always the person I could go to for help when I couldn't ask my brother or best friend.

"What's wrong, Esme?" It couldn't be anything bad, because she was smiling so brightly.

"Well, Edward, I've got some news for you. You've got a roommate!" she clasped her hands together before pulling me into a hug.

"Make sure you show your new roomie the ropes," she said with a wink before proceeding to walk away.

"Wait! What's his name? When does he come?"

"Carlisle already showed her to your cabin," she called back before walking back to her office.

Her? I couldn't have a girl roommate; the cabins weren't co-ed, and I really didn't want to get teased for that. Esme must've just mistaken her pronouns. People did that all the time, nothing new. I shook my head and kept walking back to my cabin.

I couldn't wait to take a shower! Ugh, I hated being caked in mud, it felt gross, and I just wanted to be clean and get back to my music.

I walked in and I saw that my door was open. I rushed in.

Nothing seemed to be out of place or missing. Ugh, it must've been my new roommate. I better teach him to respect privacy. After all, I am pretty good at being easily aroused to violence.

I poked my head out of my room and saw someone sticking their head into the bathroom, checking it out. I walked up behind him silently.

The person had long brown hair that was pretty close to the slim waist, and it was only then that I realized this person was a girl, not a guy. A girl! Agh!!!

Esme wasn't kidding.

I was angry. What gave this _girl_ the right to snoop through people's things?

She shut the door and was about to turn around, but she walked right into me.

"Oof!" she grunted as she smacked into me and fell against the door. I didn't want her falling, so I placed my hands on her hips, steadying her. Electric currents seemed to flow through me, and that got me angrier. What was with this girl? Was she full of static or something? I quickly grabbed her arms and demanded if she went into my room.

"No!" she screamed in my face and pushed me away. Wow, she was strong for a girl her size. She was almost a foot shorter than me.

"I simply opened the door to see if it was free. I saw that it wasn't, so I moved onto the next room. I didn't go into your room, much less touch your things," she continued in a calm manner, and I could see through her eyes that she was masking her anger.

How could Esme give me a girl for a roommate? Why?

"Ugh. Can't believe I got a girl for a roommate," I scoffed as I walked away and into my room. I shut the door noisily before flopping onto my bed in exhaustion. What a day!

I was gathering a new set of uniform, ready to take a shower and clean off all this dirt when a loud banging came from my door.

"What?" I demanded angrily as I looked down at the girl in front of me. I was getting irritated. She was taking away my time from the shower to probably complain about a broken nail or something. I was ready to flip her off when she started yelling at me.

"Look here, buddy. I'm not just a girl. I can keep up with the guys just as easily, so LAY," poke, "OFF!" another poke in the chest. Ow, that hurt.

She stormed off into her room, slamming the door so hard it caused all my CDs to rattle against one another.

I just stood there staring at her door, my mouth open and gaping.

No one has ever talked to me that way, especially not a girl. I was used to girls swooning and me turning them down. That's how it was supposed to be!

I can't believe it; this girl actually had me feeling guilty for acting like such a jerk! Gah!

I guess the best thing for me to do would be to act like a gentleman, just like Esme tells me to, so I better apologize. Gosh, talk about eating your humble pie.

But, it'll have to wait til after I take a shower so I'm actually clean. That would bee a nice feeling.

While I let the warm waters unknot my tense muscles, my mind wandered over to that girl.

She was actually kinda cute, better looking than most girls here. Those warm, brown eyes that were so deep, they looked like chocolate. And her hair looked like brown mahogany silk, I just wanted to sun my hands through her hair, and stroke her face, and…

Agh! I shook my head and tried getting all those thoughts out of my head. I just met her for crying out loud!

I changed into my clothes and let my wet hair drip onto my shirt. I slowly padded up to her room. I took a deep breathe before lightly knocking on her door.

"May I help you?" she asked without emotion when she opened the door.

I was startled by her reaction. She wasn't yelling like I thought she would. And here I thought she had anger issues! Unless she was really that good at controlling it…

"Um, I just wanted to apologize for earlier. That was very rude of me, and I wasn't acting like a proper gentleman like I should have." I looked down, not wanting to see her reaction, and I actually started blushing. Blushing! How could I?! I never blush!

"Really? Because I thought I felt the warmth of a welcome emanating from you with that wonderful hello," the sarcasm was dripping from her voice, mixed in with venom.

She was really starting to piss me off all over again.

"Well someone definitely has an attitude problem," I muttered angrily.

But it seemed like I just couldn't get it right.

"Yes, I do, but that's not what got me here. So if that'll be all, you may go back to your music store." She was ready to slam the door in my face, but I wasn't having any of that. I quickly slammed my hand out to prevent her from closing the door, and I was able to keep it open, but _man_ did it hurt! I was definitely going to have a bruise tomorrow.

I couldn't have her mad at me, and I especially couldn't have Esme mad at me for not being civil to my new roommate.

"Look, I'm in charge of you, so please listen. Can we at least _try_ to get to know each other a little better?"

"Fine," she agreed reluctantly. She stopped trying to close the door, and with the pressure I was applying to stop it from closing caused it to slam into the wall. I saw that it left a dent in the wall. I guess that was my fault.

"Oops," I said, and she just shrugged.

I led her into my room, and she sat on my bed.

"I'm Bella," she said, clenching her teeth. I guess she was really making an attempt to be nice.

"Edward," replied.

_Bella_… that had a nice ring to it. It sounded like it could roll of my tongue. I like it.

Edward… Bella… Edward… Bella… Edward & Bella… Bella & Edward… Agh! Stop that!

I extended my hand for her to shake, but decided that I wouldn't. She placed her hand in mine, but I brought it up to my lips and placed a kiss. I wanted to let my lips linger on her sweet smelling skin, but I didn't want to scare her. I smiled, and she quickly retracted her hand.

Well, Esme said to be a gentleman. Plus, I got to see her pissed off. Ah, I think having Bella as a roomie might be fun. _Might _being the operative word.

She asked about my CDs, and I told her my parents dropped them off here, and Esme, being Esme, let me keep them here with me, since my parents had officially disowned me. Well, they had already kicked my older brother out of the house, and I followed. Emmett would be 18 soon, and he'd get kicked outta here soon. He was ready to get back to the job he had before he got sent here. I guess I could go stay with him after I leave this place, split the rent.

But what about Alice… I couldn't think about my younger sister right now. She always has been the favorite of my parents, and I guess that the situation Emmett and I were in only intensified that. But that was only half of the situation that had been going on back at home. It was like paradise here, where I didn't have to deal with those things.

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and got back to the present.

"So, what got you in here?" she asked quickly after apologizing for what had happened to me. It's not like my problems were her fault. But her question did get me feeling smug.

"Well," I started, feeling proud of myself, and I guess just a smidge conceited, "I'm here for assault. Guy on my football team pissed me off, and it was only a matter of time before I snapped. My brother and best friend joined in on the fight, so they're here, too."

I was happy for what I did. Mike was a real idiot; didn't know how to shut the hell up. I was already ready to leave home and go stay with Emmett, but Mike took it upon himself to spread rumors and claim that I was on crack and an addict of all sorts. Psh, I've never had drugs in my life, unlike him. He was also pissed because all the girls flocked to me rather than him.

Oh well, he taunted the wrong person on the wrong night.

Learn from Mike's mistake: never piss off Edward Cullen when he is already furious and ready to rip heads off and is also drunk. It will result in imminent death.

Mike was lucky that other guys on the football team pulled me off of him. Emmett and Jasper were thoroughly regretful that they only got to throw in a punch or two.

I decided to elaborate my story, seeing as I would be stuck with her from now on.

"But the guy we fought, _Mike_, he's also here. So, I try my best to not get angry with him so close by. I don't want to spend extra time here."

I really didn't want to spend more time here than necessary. I should've warned Bella about staying away from him, since he always has been a clueless player, but I didn't. I don't know why I didn't; I think I might regret it later.

"So why are you here?" I was so curious now. What could she have possibly done? But, I must admit, I was feeling quite cocky, thinking that I was a much better criminal. I don't know why, but we all found pride in what we've done. Well, except for Mike, 'cuz he totally got his ass whooped by me.

"I'm here because I was charged with trespassing," she said with a smug grin.

That was it? _Please_, that was _nothing_! She calls that a crime? I smirked at her. I totally beat her with this. I am still the man of the camp. Well, that's how highly I regard myself.

But I had acted too quickly, because she wasn't done. "Vandalism, and four counts of assault." She was the one wearing a smug grin now. She knew she had me. But that couldn't be! That was impossible! No one tops the great Edward Cullen! No one! Especially not a mere girl! That would be really embarrassing.

"You lie. There's no way you took on four people. Unless those were separate times," I retorted, trying to redeem myself.

"Nope. Trespassed one of my schoolmate's house. Trust me; you would've done the same. Vandalized the place and died her hair green, shaved her dog, too before I got into a catfight with that blonde airhead," she shook my head in disgust, "but at least I got away unscathed. Poor Lauren wasn't so lucky. Bruises and a broken nose," she just laughed, probably remembering how fun it was to get her revenge. "I actually know how to fight. My dad is chief of the officers over where I'm from, so he taught me how to take care of myself."

I just shrugged. "You took on another girl, so what? You didn't say anything about the other three assaults." So she took on a girl, which was her equal match. I took on Mike while I was drunk and seeing fours. I could barely walk straight but I was still the better fighter. I bet I was still better at being a criminal.

"Fine. One of the Deputies came, Deputy Mark," she lowered my gaze before continuing, "yeah, he's quite young, joined last year right outta high school. I didn't take him on because he had someone waiting for him at home, pregnant." She shook her head as if she were disgusted. What was wrong? Many teens got pregnant, as did unmarried women. Sure, I wouldn't really approve either, but I wouldn't have that kind of reaction to that kind of news. Something must have happened between the two of them. I wonder what. Must've been bad, because I noticed the change in her voice and expression when she mentioned him; she seemed, bitter… darker, more, enraged I guess. Something about the way she talked about him made me want to hurt that guy.

She continued with her story.  
"I didn't want to deal with that specific bastard, so I ran away. Three more officers came and tried following me as I hopped fences and whatnot. I made sure that my friends got away. Yeah, well, they eventually got close enough to tazer me, so they did. It hurt like hell," she said while making a face, but quickly masked it as she lifted her shirt.

Whoa! What was she doing, stripping? Oh, never mind.

I quickly regained my composure when I realized she was showing me the burn from the tazer. Wow, that looked like it still hurt. She must be pretty tough to handle that. But I was kinda pissed at whoever did that to her.

"Yeah, so they caught up to me, and I tried crawling away. One of them grabbed me by my ankle, so I fought back. Kicked him right in the face and broke his jaw. I was able to get up, but it's hard to run after you've been electrocuted, so I just went for kicks. Broke three ribs on the second officer, and the third, well, let's just say that having kids probably won't be an option for him," she continued.

I was just… speechless.

She took on _three_ police officers; _male_ police officers, as in guys, guys who were trained for fighting and stuff. She was truly amazing to take on all of that. Talking with her was probably the best conversation I've had with anyone besides Esme and Carlisle.

She winked at me and started laughing while I just stared at her with my jaw hanging open and slack.

"Well, I'm not too sure about the injuries, because I only heard about them through my dad, Charlie." It sounded as if she was trying to be modest. That definitely didn't lessen the amazement I found in her.

"You took down three officers after being tazered? You're incredible. I don't know how you got caught and ended up here," I said while shaking my head in wonder. She really shouldn't be here. I thought she would've been one who would be able to escape.

"You are officially the toughest guy here," I told her. I'm pretty sure that was the honest truth. She just raised her eyebrow. It took my awhile before I finally understood her expression. I probably insulted her by saying she was a guy. She definitely wasn't a guy, not with that hot body and that face of an angel. I quickly corrected myself.

"Well, not _guy_, but I would definitely be hiding behind you if I got scared," I said with a chuckle.

"You, scared? Yeah, right!" she said while laughing, and delicately holding her sides.

"Hm, I wonder if you could beat my brother Emmett in a fight," I mused aloud, trying to picture it. After hearing what she did to three full grown men after being tazered, I'm sure she would be able to take on my bear of a brother while she's fully charged. I think it would be pretty funny, seeing her beat him up. Ah, Emmett being beaten up by a girl; what I would pay to see that.

"Well, as much as I'd love to know the answer to that, I wouldn't want to cripple him," she guffawed.

"It's official, I am hanging out with you. You should scare off all the bullies here, use you as my weapon," I said as I teased her and poked her ribs.

She hissed in pain, and I got worried. Did I poke her too hard? Oh no! And I was starting to really like her! Argh! Why me? Hurting the wrong person.

"What? Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" I asked her, praying that she was alright. It was just a poke after all, how bad could the damage have been, right?

She lifted her shirt again and showed me another tazer burn where I had poked her.

_Bull's eye, _I thought. How many of those did she have?

"Sorry," I said, and then I gave her a bitter smile, saying, "You amaze me." She really did. She seemed to have a high tolerance for pain. But I was also angry. Who could've done this to Bella? She didn't deserve that. I promise that the next person to hurt this angel gets his head ripped off. Or hers, depending on if it's a girl, like that Lauren person Bella had mentioned.

I asked her when all of this whole fight took place, since her tazer marks looked fresh, and she said just two days ago. Wow. She really did have a high tolerance for pain.

Taking my suggestion, Bella changed from her fancy dress clothes from her trial this morning and changed into her new uniform.

I really enjoyed seeing her in them. Even though they were all plain, and slightly loose, they looked so _good_ on her, with all those delicious curves accentuated. And the dark blue against her light creamy skin was a lovely effect. And now I really wanted to run my hands through her dark brown hair to check and see if it was as silky as it looked. She was the most intriguing creature I've ever met.

I led her outside so we could head over to the mess hall for dinner.

"Ready for your first dinner here, Miss Bella?" I asked her while I offered my arm, teasing her, but, at the same time, wishing that she would take it. I longed for that feeling of wholeness when we touched.

But she just shoved my arm away and laughed. I have to admit, that kinda hurt a little, so she just walked by my side until we were inside the building with a bunch of tables and disgusting food that would make the stuff served to those on death row look like a feast from the gods.

I led her to the line and we grabbed a tray each, ones that already had food and bottled water on it.

"Bella, will you sit with me and my group?"

"Sure. Got nowhere else to be. Oh, wait, I forgot! I promised my Barbie wannabe friends that I would sit with them today and talk about nail polish!" she gushed sarcastically. I just rolled my eyes; might as well get used to it already.

"You have a problem with your sarcasm."

"Eh, get used to it. Not something that you can get rid of after having it for 17 years. It's the key part of my personality that everyone enjoys," she said with more sarcasm, but was teasing this time.

"Hey, guys, listen up." I called the attention of my friends, and all their eyes locked onto Bella.

Figures. Sure, ignore your friend and just ogle the first girl in sight. Yeah, couldn't ask for better friends. Yeah, right.

Well, I don't really think I could blame them. I'm pretty sure Bella's the hottest thing with a heartbeat here, and she would be sitting with us. It's not like any girl here really socialized with us, so it would only make them more desperate for Bella's attention with her beauty.

"Er, yeah," I started getting impatient, and a tad jealous as I noticed Bella blushing from all their stares, Emmett and Jasper having the only decency to look at me now, "guys, this is Bella, my new roommate."

"Aw, no fair," I heard one of the guys mutter.

"Some people have all the luck," another muttered.

Bella was crimson now. I don't think I've really ever seen her blush until now. She really did look lovely.

"_Anyway_," I stated, getting their attention, hopefully, "She'll be sitting with us for now, so, be nice. Bella, these are the guys. Guys, this is Bella. No hitting on her." She blushed again. I had to mark her as mine, and keep Mike away.

"Hey!" Bella yelled and turned her gaze towards me. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much. The last guy to hit on me got bitch slapped and lost two teeth. I know self defense," she reminded me.

I could practically hear all the guys gulping when she mentioned lost teeth.

"Oh, and guys, she is now the toughest guy here."

"But she's not a guy!" Emmett interrupted.

"What's your point?" Death glares and daggers were sent to Emmett by Bella, and if looks could really kill, and Emmett was cat, he would've lost all nine lives by now. I guess that insulted her, again. I forgot, she liked being included with the guys. Why, I had no clue, but if that's what she wanted, then oh well.

"Um, nothing," he replied, looking scared.

"Look, she beats everyone's record here. Trespassing, vandalism," Emmett interrupted me again with a scoff, and I could tell Bella was ready to jump him with a vicious attack. I definitely wouldn't want to be in the middle of that. "And four counts of assault," I finished.

Jasper whistled, impressed. "Yeah, three of those assaults were on police officers, after she was tazered." I looked at her, and she was expressionless, just staring straight ahead at nothing. Remembering the second tazer she showed me made me add in with more bragging about her. "Multiple times." I grinned smugly at the guys, and all their jaws hung open.

"C'mon Bella, sit down." She sat down beside me and started eating dainty bites, as if she weren't hungry. I didn't know about her, but I was starving. Joining in with the rest of the guys, I shoveled the food into my mouth as if there was no tomorrow, even if the food sucked.

"That's Emmett and Jasper," I pointed to my brother and best friend, who were sitting across from us, "that's Eric, Tyler, and Ben." I pointed out the others at our table, who nodded in response, chewing with their mouths open and just staring at her.

Their expressions kinda reminded me of goldfishes, and, Tyler's IQ was probably the equivalent of one, too. No offense to him or anything.

"So, why you guys in here?" Bella asked conversationally.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Eddie boy over there already told you why Jasper and I are here," Emmett grinned broadly with a smug smile. That didn't last long, because soon he had mashed potatoes on his face, courtesy of the Cullenator. Me.

"Don't. Ever. Call. Me. EDDIE BOY!" I yelled at him.

A food fight probably would've started if Bella and Jasper hadn't intervened.

"I love a good fight and all, and I know I've had my share and all, but please, restrain yourselves. I know the food sucks, but suck it up and shove it down your throats before I shove it up somewhere else," Bella said, getting frustrated that none of us had out down our utensils filled with food. Well, except for Jasper, who was trying to get Emmett to put down his forkful of a lumpy something.

"Geez, Bella, someone has anger issues," Eric said, grinning while eyeing her.

"What are you looking at?" Clawed and ready for a fight, Bella looked like she was ready to bite Eric's head off for ogling.

"N-n-nothing." He stuttered quickly and shoved food into his mouth.

"Well Edward, you sure know how to pick 'em. By the way, you've got great taste, honest," Ben said sincerely as he winked. Ah, man! I turned to face Bella slowly, scared of her wrath.

She was staring at Ben incredulously, then me, before she turned back to her food and started stuffing her mouth like she was Emmett's sibling and not mine. But not before mumbling something with profanities under her breath.

I chuckled and went back to eating. Then a sharp pain ran through my foot, and I looked over to Bella, who was stepping on my foot.

"What is so funny, Cullen?" she asked through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing.

Oh, God, it _hurt_! She wasn't lying when she had said she knew how to inflict pain.

"Nothing," I said with labored breathing. Finally, the pain eased and she chose to shoot her death glares at the food rather than me.

"Well," Ben said, happy to pick up where we left off, "I'm in here 'cuz Eric, Tyler and I got drunk and passed out in some park. Great time!" He was too cheerful sometimes.

"Sorry Edward," Bella whispered under her breath so that only I could hear her.

"Oh, um, it's okay." I was puzzled. I guess she was trying to make up for earlier. I'll have to limp home. But that'd be okay, 'cuz I'd probably get to have Bella nursing me.

Hmm… nurse Bella… I got lost in my fantasies, and then someone cleared their throat and got me out of my perverted thoughts. Chancing a quick glance at Bella, she was staring at me quizzically, causing me to blush since it was her that I had been thinking about.

"So, Bella, why is it you enjoy being included with the guys?" There was so much I was eager to learn about her.

She just shrugged, unashamed to answer in front of all of the guys, "All my friends are guys." For some reason that got my blood boiling with anger. "Yeah, my friends helped me with that ambush," she said, a genuine smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Oh, yeah, I remember. Hey, Emmett, I was telling Bella something earlier. I was wondering if she could take you down." I grinned smugly at my older brother, knowing his answer already.

"Psh, no one can take down _Emmett_," he said as he pounded his chest. We all rolled our eyes at him.

"Well, I wouldn't want to hurt you and make the poor baby cry," Bella taunted.

"Oh, it's so on," Emmett thundered.

"Like I said, you'll get hurt."

"Yeah, right. You. Me. Yard. After dinner." Emmett, being Emmett, was cocky as ever and Bella just shrugged, her sign of agreement.

We all finished our dinner in a rush, and soon we were outside in the grass, watching Emmett stretch and Bella stare at him lazily with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Are we doing this or not?" Bella asked impatiently.

"Looks like the little girl can't wait to get back to her dollies," Emmett taunted, and that fueled Bella.

"Emmett, why would I play with your toys? Get over here so I can whoop your soon-to-be sorry ass," she growled, like, literally.

Without warning, she charged at Emmett full force and jumped onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist from the front, and started pounding his face furiously. Then she moved on to slapping him. She climbed off and stared at him, waiting for a response. We all wondered what was wrong with the guy. She must've been stronger than we thought, because Emmett couldn't get her off of him. He had scratches all over his face, and the red marks in the shape of her hand were forming, as well as purple welts from her fists. He spit something out of his mouth, and I realized it was a tooth.

Damn, she was tough. That was a major turn on for me.

He stared blankly at her before charging.

To my horror, Bella didn't move. Emmett reached her full force and grabbed her by the waist, flinging her over his shoulder and spinning around, getting her dizzy. I knew what he was planning on doing next. He was going to throw her onto the ground. But he didn't.

Well, he _tried,_ but it didn't exactly work out that way. It looked like Bella was clinging to him, and he started screaming. Soon she lost her grip and was flung to the ground.

Hard.

"Bella!" I yelled, starting to run to her. I stopped when I saw her start to get up, and I turned to Emmett, whose ear was bleeding. I'm guessing that Bella bit him, seeing as the blood was coming out in the form of a crescent.

Bella got up on her knees, wobbling, and she spit the blood from her mouth before wiping her hand across her mouth. Emmett stared at her in amazement.

Bella ran as fast as any person with jelly legs could, and kicked Emmett right where the sun don't shine. And we heard it, too. Emmett was in too much pain to move, much less scream in pain, so he simply sank to his knees.

Ouch. Poor guy.

"Remind me not to get on Bella's bad side," Tyler whispered.

"Sorry Emmett, but you asked for it," Bella said as she patted his back.

Well, it was true, he did ask for a fight.

"Bella, how are you? You went down pretty hard. Do you have a concussion?" I looked at her worriedly, praying that she wouldn't faint on me. Although… I don't think I'd mind carrying her…

GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER EDWARD!!! I yelled to myself, mentally shaking my head.

"I'm fine, really. I have a high tolerance for pain." So I was right.

"Sure. But let's just get you back, okay? You should shower. There's grass all over you, and in your hair, too," I said as I plucked a dry leaf from her hair. "And I'm sure you don't want to taste Emmett's blood in there. Man, that was one hell of a fight! I didn't know you meant you knew how to fight like a professional UFC fighter!" Seeing her like that really got me excited. Like I said, seeing her like that was a kind of turn on for me. I fell like such a sicko. Whatever, at least I got her as a roomie.

I was leading her into our cabin when the voice I despised most called to us from behind.

"So, you must be Bella. That was quite a show you put on back there. I'm sure you'll get to know me _very_ well. What do you say, would you like to join me for a chat in my room?" I hat those innuendos.

_Mike._

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**A/N: I hope this was a little longer! I had fun doing this from EPOV! I know it ain't very good, but I'm tired and don't have time for anything! Sorry! I hope you enjoyed! Thank you! Please review!**


	5. Mike, Kiss My A!

**A/N: I think I'm pretty happy with the response I've been getting so far; lotta subscriptions and stuff. Thanks!**

**For EmmettCullenLuva0506, I will make sure Bella beats the ** outta Mike. Thank you everyone! I sincerely hope you enjoy.**

**P.S. Warning for language! Though I don't think it's that bad…**

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**BPOV:**

"_So, you must be Bella. That was quite a show you put on back there. I'm sure you'll get to know me very well. What do you say; would you like to join me for a chat in my room?"_

I turned around to face that horrid voice.

A boy was standing near me, much closer than I would've liked, and he reeked. He definitely hadn't showered yet. _Ew._

He stood a few inches taller than me, but still, about an inch or two under Edward, and he definitely was at a loss for muscles compared to Edward. He actually seemed kind of wiry in juxtaposition. He had light sandy hair, closer to blonde than brown. He was sneering down at me.

"What do you want?" I asked him rudely. How he knew my name, I had no clue; but if he didn't lay off he would definitely lose his manhood, and he would get it much worse than Emmett.

He didn't seem fazed by my attitude, but more eager.

"I was just asking you if you wanted to come over to my cabin. We could get to know each other…" he trailed off suggestively, his eyes raking over my body in an obvious manner._ Chauvinistic pig!_

Taking a step forward, he placed his arms on my sides and started running them up and down. That was the last _straw!_ He had no right, whatsoever, to be touching me that way!

"Get your hands _off me! Perv!_" I threw my hand back and flung it forward with all my might.

It hit the guy's face with a sickening crunch, and his head snapped back as he fell to the ground with a thud.

I looked down at him as he covered his face with his hand, blood spurting between his fingers.

"Mike, you asshole!" Edward yelled beside me.

So _this_ was the Mike I've heard so much about.

"Agh!" His groans were getting annoying.

"Just suck it up you big baby!"

"Agh, you bitch!" Mike yelled at me from where he was on the ground. He stood up carefully, regaining his balance, before removing his hand from his face.

Definitely _not_ a pretty sight. Even before I socked him in the face.

"You're gonna have hell to pay for that," he gasped, trying to breathe through his now broken house.

He lurched forward and grabbed my wrist, dragging me along with him towards another cabin.

"Mike, let go of her!" Edward thundered, chasing after us.

I tried in vain to get out of his grasp, but he was stronger than he looked.

"You want me Bella. I'll make you see that. Just watch, little girl, just watch. You _will_ be _mine_," he muttered darkly in my ear before Edward came up from behind.

He grabbed Mike's collar from behind, choking him. Mike released me for a second and somehow managed to kick Edward from the side of his face.

Edward stumbled to the side and fell to the ground, and with a loud _crack_ his head hit a rock and he was down for the count.

A feral growl ripped through my chest, and Mike looked back at me, grinning in amusement as he backhanded the right side of my face.

"Bastard."

"Hmm, quite feisty, I see. I like 'em that way," the disgusting bigot chuckled. Quicker than I would've expected, he had my arm back in his grasp, twisting it.

I felt a bruise forming where his hand was, and my arm was right about ready to pop out of its socket. I've never been up against someone evenly matched against me, if not more.

I was pissed. My vision was clouded with a red haze, and I wasn't connected to my body. Thinking wasn't an option anymore, only acting.

He pushed me forward and opened a door to a cabin; his I guessed.

He continued chuckling as he tried pushing me through the door. He tried, but didn't exactly succeed.

Somehow I managed to twist my self around so that I was facing him. With my quick wit, I turned the tables using the self defense moves I had learned over the years. I flicked my wrist so that I was now the one holding Mike.

He looked down at me, confused at what I had done.

"What are you doing?" He was trying to figure it out as both of us stood there motionless.

I was calculating how to escape, so I did the one thing that he wouldn't be expecting, but would most likely accept.

I grinned up at him deviously, and he just blinked in shock.

I threw my arms around his neck, dragging face down to mine, and I kissed him right smack on the lips. He stood still for a moment, still trying to figure out what was going on.

_Stupid moronic jackass._

He started kissing me back eagerly, and he ran his hands up and down my sides.

_Ew. _This was absolutely _disgusting!_

But completely vital to my escape. I had him distracted, and I used it to my advantage.

I brought his face even lower, and then swung my leg right at his manhood. And I made sure it was harder than any punch or kick I've ever thrown.

Backing away, I jumped over his crumpled form, spitting down at him to get his taste out of my mouth. I streaked through his still open door and ran smack dab into Emmett.

I felt all the air being knocked out of me, but I didn't fall because he swung me over his shoulder going all caveman and ran me back to the office, which I assumed was Esme's.

He set me down on a chair with a big goofy grin on his face.

"Damn, Bella, that was the best fight I've ever had! That was fun! Except when you bit my ear," he made a face, "but we have to do that again! I saw Mike dragging you away, but I couldn't leave Edward. Once Jasper and I got him back here, I ran over to his cabin only to find that you took care of Mike yourself. That really wasn't nice of you Bella."

_Wasn't nice? _What was he talking about? It was self defense!

"You should've let me have a go at him. Why do you get to have all the fun?" Emmett said with a pout.

I just smiled at him. I winced as the right side of my face throbbed from where Mike had slapped me.

"Ow," Emmett scowled when he took in the red mark in the shape of Mike's hand forming.

"Edward's gonna be pissed when he sees your face. I mean, he already hated Mike as it is, but that definitely fuels the fire." I just rolled my eyes.

"I know how to defend myself Emmett."

"No kidding." I looked back at him and saw his swollen eye turning purple already from where I had hit him.

"Sorry bout that Emmett," I whispered.

"No problem. I guess that should count as your initiation into our family," he said as he grinned broadly.

"Really?" Tears were starting to form in my eyes, and I had no idea why. I think it just felt nice to be accepted here. It felt right, somehow.

"So I'm one of the guys now?" I asked him.

"Of course." He threw his arm around my shoulder and gave me a bone crushing one armed hug and a noogie. It felt like my scalp was on fire after that.

"Emmett! My hair! Ah, whatever," I grumbled as I tried flattening it out so it didn't look like I got hit by lightening.

"Bella, may I please speak with you in private?" Esme asked quietly from her doorway. I nodded and got up off my chair beside Emmett.

'I'll be back' I mouthed to him and took a seat inside Esme's private office.

"Whoa," I breathed as I took it all in. it was so _nice_ in here.

She had a small waterfall in a corner, the water pouring out giving the room a sort of calm feeling. There were plants all around the room, and something very floral. There was a light colored desk at the back, and I noticed many awards and diplomas hanging on her light green walls. Some of them were Carlisle's. I was surprised to know that he had a medical degree. It seemed so free and light in here. The left side of her wall was all glass, and she had the blinds open, exposing the trees and open blue sky past the chain linked fence.

"Bella, Edward is awake now. Carlisle examined him. He has a slight concussion, but other than that, he should be alright. You might want to look after him though, just in case. Now, Edward told me that Mike attacked you?" It came out as a question, as if she was looking for confirmation.

"It was nothing," I mumbled.

"Bella, I would really like it if you told me wha-," she was cut off by her phone's ringing.

"Just a moment, Bella."

She answered and did a couple _um-hm_s and _of course_s, before finishing up with an 'I'll finish it up from here Carlisle, thanks.'

I was now curious and worried.

"Bella, Carlisle just told me that Mike came in with a broken nose, and Emmett says you did it but out of pure self defense. I would like fore you to tell me the whole story." She gazed at me expectantly.

I sighed before giving in. "It's true. Edward and I were heading back to our cabin when Mike came. He asked me to come over to his cabin, and I told him no. He kept insisting and tried dragging me with him against my protests, and Edward tried getting him to stop. Mike somehow kicked Edward in the head and he got knocked down, hit a rock. He didn't get up and then Mike got me into his cabin. I was able to get away when I ran into Emmett and he brought me here."

"That doesn't explain why Mike has a broken nose and can't walk straight."

"He kept insisting and was getting handsy. He doesn't understand the word no, much less what personal space means. And taking away his manhood was the only way I thought I'd be able to get away," I said with a shrug. I saw a faint smile tugging at the edge of Esme's lips.

"I understand. Self defense purposes can be excused. But, I will have to call your parents and let them know what happened. They might want to press charges."

"What? No! Oh Esme, please, no! I don't want to get into more trouble for fighting!"

"Bella, I'm not trying to get you in trouble. They have to know that you were attacked. It's mandatory. Thank goodness you weren't harmed. It's a good thing Chief Swan taught you well," she said with a full blown genuine smile.

I just nodded limply, unsure of how Charlie would handle things.

"You are dismissed." Esme saluted me, so I figured I had to return the gesture, so I did.

I walked out of her office and walked into someone's chest.

But it wasn't just _anybody's_ chest; it was Edward's. Why did I always seem to run into him like this?

"Ah, Bella," Edward said, relief coloring his voice and his features. "I was so worried, and then I blacked out and, and, and…" he looked anxious again, and that got _me_ worried now.

"Edward, please calm down. You have a concussion, don't make it worse." I looked into his eyes, and he still held his tense stance. I don't know what it was exactly that I saw in his eyes, but it made me want to end his worries.

"Look, ease up. If you fainted, there's no way in hell I'd be able to carry you back to the cabin," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He grinned in response, and that relieved me.

"C'mon. Let's just head back over to our cabin," he said.

I liked the way he said that.

_Our_ cabin.

I smiled and helped him stumble through the door and onto the grass.

"Here Edward, let me help you," I offered, grabbing his arm so I could guide him.

"No," he grumbled in protest. He tripped and I had to use all my strength to keep him from having a nice conversation with the ground.

"Ah, fine," he said in exasperation as he gave in. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I liked the feel of it. For some reason, I wanted to stay like this forever, wrapped up in Edward. I wasn't sure what I was feeling; after all, I've only just met him. I've never had a crush before, and all this was new to me. I shook the thoughts out of my head and helped Edward get into our cabin.

He collapsed onto his bed and groaned.

"Are you alright?" I asked, unsure.

"Sure. Can you please just turn on some music?"

I walked over to his stereo, and it was one of those kinds that can hold about 6 different CDs at a time, but a little more extreme.

"How many CDs can this thing hold?" I asked him in awe.

"Um, I think 12. Can you put it on shuffle?"

"Uh huh." I hit shuffle and a song started playing.

"Linkin Park?" I asked him questioningly.

"What? Don't tell me you have something against them, or else I'll use up all the warm water in the morning and let you freeze." I just chuckled.

"Too bad I prefer to shower at night. But no, I do like Linkin Park. I was just surprised, is all."

"Whatever." He threw his arm over his eyes and sucked in a deep breathe.

"I'll just be going now," I whispered in his ear. As I was closing the door, he stopped me.

"No Bella. Can you please just stay a little while? My head hurts like hell."

"And how does me being here help, exactly?"

"Your presence is soothing to me." I blushed and looked down. "Plus, Esme said you'd be my nurse until I'm all better. I'm not better 'til Carlisle says I am," he looked up at me with a breath-taking smirk.

"Fine," I said, feigning exasperation as I plopped down beside him.

Refusing him was impossible, and he was just so damn adorable when he begged.

As I climbed onto the bed beside Edward, I realized that he was already asleep.

Unsure of whether I should stay or go, I did the only thing I could think of.

I stayed.

Not wanting to invade his personal space, I found a chair and sat beside his bed, watching him sleep. On impulse, I reached my hand out and pushed that beautiful bronze out of his face and stroked his cheek.

"Edward, I'm sorry for everything," I whispered. "Mike will pay. I'll tell him that he can just kiss my ass." I smiled at the thought.

I grabbed his hand and pressed my lips to his palm. A serene smile took over his features as he slept.

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**A/N: I am wiped, and I am soooo sorry it sucked. I'll do better next time. Thank you! I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	6. I Loved That View

**A/N: Hello! And thank you for taking the time to read this! Okay, I really need your opinion, but I have this feeling you probably wouldn't think much of this anyway, so here it goes. Should I switch it on and off with the POVs, or should I mix it up every now and then? Eh, whatever. Enjoy!**

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**(EPOV)**

I woke up feeling like shit.

My head throbbed, the light was utterly blinding, the sounds seemed amplified, and I couldn't remember a single damned thing!

Argh! It felt like I had a friggin hangover.

I groaned and swung my arm over my eyes, trying to cover my eyes and ears at the same time, but ended up hurting myself in the process.

What the hell?

I tentatively rubbed my hands over face until I came across something that felt like gauze. I didn't remember anything at all. For all I knew, I was wasted.

I turned my head to the side and saw a girl sleeping beside me on a chair.

What the fuck? Sitting up quickly, I examined the girl before me.

This was the boys' dorm. What was she doing here?

Slowly, things began to piece themselves together in my mind.

_Obstacle course…_

_Sgt. Banner…_

_New roommate…_

_Bella…_

_Ah, Bella, I thought with a smile on my lips._

_Dinner… ew…_

_Emmett…_

_Fighting…_

_Mike…_

_Mike!_

Groaning, I realized that the last thing I remembered was getting knocked out by Mike fucking Newton. How that was even possible, I don't have a single frickin clue.

I do remember Carlisle patching me up and saying I had a concussion, and memory loss was common. Only I can end up in this kind of shit.

Bella looked so peaceful in her sleep; it seemed rude to wake her. But she it was as if she was answering my thoughts, because she slowly batted her eyelashes in her sign of awakening.

"Hey Edward," she mumbled groggily.

"Hey to you, too, nurse," I said with a smirk. She just rolled her eyes and then scrutinized my face more than I was comfortable with. I was about to ask her about it, but she beat me to the punch.

"Oh, Edward! You're bleeding through your bandages!" Before I could even begin to comprehend her words, she was up gathering some things.

Carefully peeling away the gauze, I put on a brave face as she applied some alcohol and another sort of ointment that stung like hell. She did it differently from Carlisle. Rather than wrap a whole bunch of bandages around my head, she folded up the gauze into a square and placed it over my head wound, finishing up with some medical tape over it.

"Thanks," I grumbled.

"Don't mention it," she muttered as she started walking out my door, but stopped abruptly and turned to face me.

"I just wanted to say thank you for trying to help me yesterday. You didn't have to do that." She was ready to walk off, but I couldn't let her think like that. Why in the world would I let that asshole Newton get her?

"Of course I did."

"I can defend myself," she retorted through gritted teeth.

"What, you don't want someone to help you when you're about to get raped? Come on Bella! You can't be that fucking stupid!" I roared.

"Look at the result; you're hurt and it's my fault. We'll leave it at that." I don't need any more door slamming here with this headache, and I definitely don't need a moody girl either.

"Why are you so angry?" I asked, exasperated.

"I can take care of myself. You don't need to get hurt in the process. Let's just forget about this whole thing, okay?"

"Fine." Sure, she wants to leave it like that, then we will. I don't need to deal with her bitchiness. To think I was actually worried about her.

What time was it? No, what _day_ was it? That was the more important question.

I checked the time and date on my phone – yes, Esme allowed us to keep cell phones around here, much to Sgt. Banners complaints – and was relieved to see it was only 4:47am. But it was Monday, my least favorite day of the week.

With a groan I got up and gathered my clothes. I stretched and felt some of my bones pop. Not a very nice feeling, but it did help with some of my soreness.

I stuck the buds of my iPod into my ears and cranked the volume on high.

Bopping my head, I grabbed a towel and walked into the bathroom.

_Cause this is what you want but you just can't say  
__So let's keep on moving anyway  
_

_Cause it's a dream, dream, dream, dream  
__Trying to wake up  
__I can hardly breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe  
__High up on a cloud, dancing with me  
__I'm a machine  
__My regards for him are wearing thin  
__I'm sorry_

_Dream, dream, dream, dream  
__High up on a cloud, dancing with reality_

_You've got me all strung out  
__I want this in the worst way  
__Quiet now, speaking more than words could say  
__Love is a game that we both play (x2)  
__This is a dream, dream, dream, dream_

_Trying to wake up  
__I can hardly breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe  
__High up on a cloud, dancing with me  
__I'm a machine  
__My regards for him are wearing thin  
__I'm sorry_

_Dream, dream, dream, dream  
__High up on a cloud, dancing with reality_

Singing along, I opened the shower curtain to turn on the water before stripping and stepping in. It was too freaking cold to even think about waiting for the water to warm up after being undressed.

As I pulled back the curtain, I was splashed with water and I lifted my eyes and was greeted by the sight of Bella, doe-eyed and blanching.

Her expression grew fierce and she pulled back the curtain around herself.

I just stared in shock. I didn't know she was in here… oh my fucking, ah _crap_!

I ran out of the bathroom as quick as possible. Standing in the hall, waiting for her so I could explain, I was blushing madly. And I never blushed. That really said something.

"What the hell were you doing in there?!" Bella asked angrily as she emerged from the bathroom not to long after me, her hair still wet and dripping onto her navy blue clothes.

"Honest to God I didn't know you were in there. I had my music on high, I didn't hear you on there!" I said, raising my hands up defensively.

But then I got curious.

"Hey, I thought you said you took showers at night?"

"Kinda hard when I had to be your bedside nurse." She was very calm; _too_ calm. She wasn't being sarcastic at all.

"How could you _not_ know I was in there?" she asked again, very puzzled, and annoyed at the same time, "Because really, I thought the steam in there would be enough of a clue. Seriously, the way I see it, you're either a perverted douche bag, or a retarded dip shit. Which is it?"

Damn, she was really angry. And it was just an accident. I wasn't a perv, and I wasn't fucking retarded. Which would placate her, since my alibi obviously wasn't working?

"I swear, it was just an accident! I didn't see anything," I yelled anxiously. I saw what she did to Emmett, and heard about Mike. Being next on her list wouldn't be a very good thing.

"Whatever. Just don't let it happen again," she muttered, exasperated.

Fierce. And scary as hell. Getting on her bad side was definitely out of the question.

I shook my head and quickly took a shower.

"Bella, I'm sorry about earlier. Can we please just forget about that?" I said to her closed door.

She opened it. "Fine."

"Thank you. Now can we please go and have breakfast? I still need to explain the schedule to you."

"Fine." What was with all these curt answers? She already said we could just forget about it, why was she being so… curt? Gosh, I hate thinking about the word curt over and over. Ah! And now I was frustrated that she had me frustrated. This is why I didn't want a girl for a roommate.

Although… she didn't really act too much like a girl. She was tougher than most guys around here, seeing as she actually took on Emmett. And then Mike.

She was a real trooper. She was a soldier.

As we walked out the door, there was one thought in my head.

_I lied. I _did_ see something. And I liked it. No. I _loved_ that view._

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**A/N: Sorry it was short! I just wanted to have something up already. I guess it was just a filler. Sorry! The song up there was Dream by Capitol Risk.**


	7. Mush

**READ A/N AT BOTTOM!!!**

**PLEASE READ A/N AT BOTTOM! IMPORTANT! ENJOY!**

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**BPOV:**

The entire way to the mess hall, I was muttering quietly to myself.

I was furious. Of all people, I got put in the room with Edward Cullen, a guy. Just great.

Not really.

Today already started out horribly, and I knew that was a bad omen.

Things would definitely be going to hell.

"Um, c'mon Bella. Let's grab our grub and I'll explain the schedule," Edward murmured, not looking directly at me as he held the door open for me. This definitely would be a kink in our relationship.

"Ew."

"What?" I looked up at Edward, and he clearly didn't get the reason for my disgust.

"Um, hello! This isn't food, it's gunk! Not even a desperate stray dog on the verge of starving to death would eat this tuff willingly!"

The yellow blob that _looked_ like scrambled eggs, well, I couldn't really call it scrambled eggs. It was mush.

The stuff that was supposedly bacon was flimsy and cold and… greasy.

I picked up the 'pancakes' and it just flopped around like a dying fish. This stuff was disgusting. Even juvies like us didn't deserve _this_! It was like some sort of torture, just like making us wake up at 5am.

As soon as we took our seats, Emmett and Jasper appeared, followed by Ben, Tyler, and Eric. The latter made an attempt at flirting. _FAILED_!

"Okay, so, first we have our classes," Edward said through mouthfuls of… stuff, "and it only lasts during the morning, so just until lunch time. In the afternoon it's the obstacle courses, etc."

"Classes?" They took classes here? Well, it was Esme, after all. She seemed too nice to let our minds go to waste. Darn.

"Yeah. We have math, science, and history."

"That's it? I was worried it was something like actually being in school," I said with a laugh.

"No, there's more. Jasper, can you please explain to Bella more about our classes?"

Of course. He was to busy shoveling that shit into his mouth to want to explain more.

I sighed. Guys and their food. Something I'll never get…

"Well, we also have english, well, you know, language arts and all that crap, 'cuz those teachers don't like us talking with slang. And then… nope, that's it. I think. But history is tough. They drill everything about war into our skulls. I think that's it," Jasper finished before going back to stuff his face.

This was gonna suck.

"Wait, but what about books and all that shit?" I asked Edward. I noticed he was laughing with Emmett about something. Narrowing my eyes at him, I saw that Emmett was sitting to the right of Edward, who was across from me, while Jasper was to my left. Eric, Tyler, and Ben were somewhere beyond Emmett and Jasper.

He better not have been telling Emmett, or anyone else for that matter, about this morning's incident.

"Um, the books are in the desks, and they provide paper and these little lead stubs, cuz they don't want to risk us stabbing people with pens or something. It's really funny how they're so paranoid," Emmett guffawed.

"Hm," I nodded along with my answer.

My eyes darted back to Edward, and he was still uncomfortable under my gaze. I beckoned him forward with my finger, and he hesitantly leaned forward.

Yeah, he _better_ be scared.

As soon as he was close enough, I whispered so that only he could hear me.

"Eddie bear," I purred quietly, and laughed in my head as I saw him get annoyed, "if you spill the beans about this morning's event, I will castrate you with my bare hands. Got it?" I asked him sweetly. His face paled, and it was pretty funny seeing the effect I had.

He numbly nodded before going back to eating his goop, but with less fervor.

Finally, someone blew on a trumpet, signaling that it was 6:30am. I hated that sound. They better not sound it after every class, or there will be some major hell to pay, and some butts will definitely be kicked.

"Time for our fist class of the day," Emmett growled angrily.

"What subject?" I asked nervously.

_Please not math, please not math, I suck at that shit, please not fucking math!_

"Math," Jasper answered dully.

_NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!_

* * *

**THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY SHORTEST CHAPTER EVER.**

**OKAY, HERE'S THE DEAL, GUYS. MY SCHEDULE IS SCREWY. **

**I WILL ONLY UPDATE IF SOMEONE ASKS ME TO IN A REVIEW. MAKE SENSE? IF YOU DON'T ASK ME TO POST THE NEXT CHAPTER, I WON'T. EVEN IF I HAVE TO WAIT 1 MONTH, 2 MONTHS, 3 MONTHS, THEN I WILL WAIT.**

**AND!!! I KNOW IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, THAT WAS THE MOST CUSSING I'VE EVER DONE. SHOULD I LIGHTEN UP WITH IT? CUZ THAT'S WHAT I TRIED DOING WITH THIS CHAPTER. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH WRITER'S BLOCK SUFFERERS LIKE MYSELF.**

**and!!!! again, sorry. I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE IN BOOT CAMP, OBVIOUSLY. I'M JUST MAKING THIS UP AS I GO ALONG.**

**JUST REMEMBER! IF YOU WANT TO READ WHAT'LL HAPPEN NEXT, (as sucky as it is) YOU HAVE TO TELL ME! THANX! -SAMI**


	8. Mr V

**Dude, I'm thinking, 'Do I really need a beta?' **_**NAH**_**!!! I think I've been pretty fine on my own, haven't I? Okay, I do suck here and there, but, still.**

**Anyway, I wanna thank all of you who have read, faved, alerted, and reviewed this story!**

**The list begins:  
****SugerSweetCutie****, ****not-a-writer-ish****, ****EmmettCullenLuva0506****, ****snowangel729****, ****sorcerergirl90****, ****TVluvr4life****, ****twilipseon****, ****outkasted-angel09****, ****JasperLover1997****, ****Queen-Cocaine****, ****twnmecbd09****, ****xPurplePlatypix****, ****Tianna M.V.A.****, ****notsomuch2say****, ****Larynn****, ****Kaidi****, ****..kinds.****, ****xox-Twilight-xox****, ****seraphiel133579****, **

**And then of course you etc. people: (readers but non-reviewers)**

**Chrissie H. Jasper****, ****Crimson-Rozez****, ****Klorfrosken****, ****RavenRobinGirl****, ****Scared- Life- Tissue****, ****ericaECSTACY****, ****idotroad****, ****itsbeesquared****, ****jessgold94****, ****liebeblackvampire****, ****Breaking'Dawn4ever****, ****Crazyidioticmaniac****, ****EbonyClaw****, ****Harry Plopper****, ****Kleintje88****, ****Larken Rye****, ****Laydee Innocent****, ****Screams-At-Midnight****, ****Tabiku Tab Iakkin****, ****XxXtwilightdragonXxX****, ****all-things-nice****, ****kellyqgirl****, ****my-psychotic-savior****, ****sraeburn****, and ****theBrokenEclipseRibbon****. If I get the name wrong, sorry!**

**Outta breath now! If I forgot to mention someone, I'm sorry! I'm one of those scatterbrained people. Not too long ago my mom said she didn't know what would happen to me if my head wasn't attached because I had this important paper and I was going crazy looking for the envelope to put it back into, and then I realize it didn't even have an envelope and then my mom smacked my head with the piece of paper. That happens EVERY DAY. Story of my life. Sorry, I'm ranting. Here's chapter 8!**

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**EPOV:**

As we walked over to math, I noticed how anxious Bella seemed. It was quite odd. I guess I was so used to seeing her tough exterior. Maybe she was human after all.

"You okay over there, jitter bug?" I teased. After all, it's not like she could really hit me here with all the teachers and drill sergeants around. Unless she didn't mind getting in trouble. Which she didn't. I instantly regretted my words. There was always when we got back to our cabin that she could attack.

She turned her head slowly to face me, and I gulped at her ferocious glare.

"I'm fine," she hissed and straightened herself, walking with her head held high, but not in that kind of snobbish way those skanks usually do. More with pride. She looked quite regal.

I didn't realize I had stopped walking and was staring, but I quickly caught up to catch up to her.

"So, what, you don't like math?" She stiffened, but didn't slow down her pace.

"I'm… pretty good, but, no, I don't really enjoy it like I do history or literature." Her voice was still uneven, but I let that pass.

"What about science and English?" She shrugged.

"I like science, especially the human anatomy, and English is okay, I guess. My essays have always gotten pretty good grades, but I don't like studying complex sentences and interrogatives and whatnot. That crap is ridiculous," she said with a grimace. I just chuckled quietly beside her.

"What?!" she snapped at me, but I still couldn't help it.

"Nothing, but we have the same interests." She relaxed infinitesimally, but still nodded.

"We're here," I announced when we reached the building where we have our lessons. It was the only building around besides our cabin bunks, Esme's office, and wherever it is the sergeants and guards go during their breaks. We had one teacher, all morning.

Mr. Varner. Shudder.

I held the door open for her, being the gentleman that Esme asked me to be.

Bella rolled her eyes and stepped inside the 'classroom'.

"Mr. Varner, this is our new… resident?" What were we exactly? It's not like I'm gonna be telling Mr. V. that we got another delinquent here. Yeah, right. Think of the crap I'd be in for saying the word 'delinquent'. Here it's like saying the F word, only worse.

"Oh, yes. You are Isabella Marie Swan, I presume?"

"It's Bella," she confirmed through gritted teeth.

Mr. V. nodded. "Well, why don't you sit at that empty desk by Edward?"

"I'll show her right away," I said. "Bella, c'mon," I whispered in her ear and dragged her by her arm to the back of the classroom where our desks were.

My seat was at the very back of the row farthest from the door, the row right beside the window. I liked my spot a lot. Now, Bella would sit to my right. This should be interesting.

"Okay, there is paper inside of your desk," I explained as I pointed to the opening in front of her. "And the pencil stub is handed out by Mr. V. And… oh, yeah, the books are underneath your seat. Make sure you keep them in order by the subject. Mr. V. totally loses it if they aren't in the precise order: Math, English, Science, and History. That's top to bottom."

She sighed heavily before dropping her head into her hands. "Better start liking it here, already, I guess," she muttered to herself.

"It gets better," I assured her. "Once you get used to it," I added.

"Whatever," she mumbled, just as Mr. V. said, "Okay, class, let's begin today with the Pythagorean Theorem. That's easy enough," he said with a grin as he clapped his hands together.

"Fuck," Bella whispered to herself.

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**Okay, I know it's short but I don't have much time at the moment. Thank you, all! **

**Remember, I won't update unless you ask. **

**Meaning… REVIEW!!!**

**P.S. I can only update on Fridays now!!! Sorry!!!**


	9. Chapter 9 The Bet

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**

Haha! I got so lucky!!! I was able to update before March 14! Yay! Okay, I'm not really supposed to use the computer, soooo…

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**BPOV:**

Math.

Sucked.

Ass.

Sure, things like addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, no problem. As long as I had a calculator, of course. It's not like I was a fucking rocket scientist. Some of these things were hard, like, seriously. Math was definitely _not_ my forte. My worst subject, and always has been. Not likely to change.

How am I supposed to know what _n _equals in 5_n_+0.7 divided by 0.6 plus 12? Seriously, a seventh grader may be able to figure it out, but I can barely figure out square roots.

Not that I'm retarded or anything. I'm _borderline _retarded in math, but just math. Other than that, I'm a total genius.

Not that I'm conceited or anything. But it is something my report card has proven.

Anyway, Edward enjoyed his sniggers every time my face would scrunch up in confusion.

Honestly, when would fucking Distributive property be important? What the hell was that crap anyway? Fuck it is all I can say 'bout it. But he definitely would have hell to pay for all those sniggers.

I think I almost burst into tears of joy when Mr. V said we could put our math books away and start English.

Halleluiah, it's 'bout time for a _miracle_! Because that what it honestly fucking was. That crap was _hard_.

"Now, students, we will start with the basics of a persuasive essay." I couldn't help but snicker at his monotonous voice and how he called us students. We weren't _students_, we were _delinquents_. There definitely was a difference.

"Well, you need the opening paragraph that introduces your topic, as well as your statement and the supporting reasons. You need at least three supporting reasons for your statement, no less than five paragraphs that total to 1000 words or more. _Words_, not letters, Eric," Mr.V said, giving Eric a pointed look, which shut him right up.

He droned on and on and on and on and… well, you get the point. It was just plain boring. I could've finished an A+ persuasive essay in the time that he took to explain how to do it. Maybe someone with a stick up their ass would be better than this… blob. It was just yak, yak, yak, until it was time for science. And we got _nothing_ done.

Oh, and guess what they were currently studying.

Human science. You know, the actual physical body and its functions and all that jazz.

Well, they were now on the reproductive system. I'm sure you could figure how well that went. When Tyler snickered at, a, um, _certain word_, Mr. V sent him out to someone named Banner to run 10 laps.

Sigh.

No freedom to LOL!!!

I hated it when people used acronyms like that. It pissed me off to no end. What the hell does ROTFLMFAO even mean? Was that even one of those actual ones used in texting or IMing? I was _clueless_ when it came to that. Probably because I just hung out with all guys who didn't do that sorta thing. Well, neither did I. And I was proud to not be those bubbly airheads, chewing their gum loudly, flirting with the football players, popping their anorexic asses… no, I had dignity. Unlike certain blondes whose names started with L and ended in N and rhymed with _Mauren_.

Plus, I didn't do cheerleading. Nope. I was one of those dark and gloomy people, always negative and pessimistic. Hey, can I really help it if I see the world as it truly is?

Anyway, Mr. V decided he better give us 'the talk' so we would be 'prepared' and take 'precautions'.

Douche.

I did my best to pay attention, but it's kinda hard to hear properly when you've got your really hot, annoying roommate trying to hide his adorable laughter across from you.

Yes. I, Isabella Marie Swan, said _hot_ and _adorable_.

Hey, I was a teenage girl filled with hormones. Can I really help it if I'm physically attracted to him?

Anyway, the time flowed by, onto history, which I didn't hear a word of, since I was in la-la land, dreaming about my future sports car. A nice, sleek, fast, red Ferrari… I could almost hear the _vroom vroom_, but it was just Edward's stomach demanding food.

The academic part of the day was over and I barely realized it. Wow, this place sure knows how to cause retardation. Well, off to lunch and then… whatever it was that was next.

"C'mon Bella. Let's see the crap their serving up today," Edward said with a smirk. I smiled back, but out of politeness, of course. It's not like _I_ could like _him_ willingly, with him being a jackass and all.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Hey Edward. You seem like you curse a lot."

"Hmm, I suppose I do. But, as I recall, you've cussed more than me in these two days I've known you."

"Touché. But how do I know you're not cussing mentally?" I countered.

"You don't," he said with a shrug, and continued walking.

"What do ya say 'bout a bet, you and me?"

"A bet?" he questioned, a grin gracing that god-like face of his.

"Yes. Let's see who can go the longest _without_ cussing. Who ever curses first is obviously the loser, who has to…" I trailed off, thinking.

"Be the slave of the winner for a week?" Edward volunteered, looking confident.

"Sure. Well, slavery is, you know, illegal, pretty much. Servant."

"Deal."

"Deal," I confirmed, and we shook on it.

"Now c'mon. I'm _starving_," he whined, and his stomach growled in support.

Just then Emmett came from behind and bumped into Edward, who nearly fell upon impact.

"Oh, _sh-_"

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**A/N: Haha! Lucky me! But this won't happen every Friday. I hope it was good enough, as short as it was.**

**So, will Edward give in and be the first to curse? Let us wait and see. And thank you for being so patient! I love you all! And I dedicate this to… everyone. Especially my friends. You know who you are.**

**And that whole bet to not cuss is my way of avoiding it for now. I'm really uncomfortable typing those words. To me it's as taboo as lemons. Hehe, not that I'm writing one or anything. Yet. _No_, I'm kidding! Sorry, ranting. -SAMI**


	10. Visitor

_Previously on IRON GRIP:_

"_Has the jury come to a unanimous decision?"_

"_Guilty," the juror answered the judge._

_I am sentencing her to a 10 months in boot camp."_

"_Ready for your first dinner here, Miss Bella?"  
"Looks like the little girl can't wait to get back to her dollies,"  
"Emmett, why would I play with your toys? Get over here so I can whoop your soon-to-be sorry ass," _

_And taking away his manhood was the only way I thought I'd be able to get away,"  
__I lied. I _did_ see something. And I liked it. No. I _loved_ that view._

"_Time for our fist class of the day,"_

"_Okay, class, let's begin today with the Pythagorean Theorem. That's easy enough,"_

"_Now c'mon. I'm __starving__," he whined, and his stomach growled in support._

_Just then Emmett came from behind and bumped into Edward, who nearly fell upon impact._

"_Oh, __sh_it!" I looked back at him and smirked victoriously.

_Oh yeah! Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah! I won! I won! Happy dance time! Dun duh na nuh! Uh huh, oh yeah, that's right! I totally beat your ass, Cullen! _

"Shitake mushroom." What?

"Excuse me, Cullen?"

"Exactly what I said. Shitake mushroom."

I blinked back with a blank look on my face. What the hell?

"I said _shitake_ mushrooms. _Shit__ake _mushrooms."

"No! that's not fair! Cheater!" Damn it! He found a loophole! Well, two can play at that game.

"I am not! It's a real word!"

"Fine, Cullen. We'll play it your way. But you'll see; I will win." I grinned cheekily before walking away from him.

Ben and Eric were fooling around outside the 'classroom', so I quickly caught up to them.

"'Sup guys?"

"Not much."

"Actually, we were headed over to watch Tyler finish his laps with Sgt. Banner. Wanna come with us?" Eric asked, grinning.

"Nah. I got a bet to win." I skipped off to the mess hall for the slop they called lunch. Sigh. I would most definitely die of this poison.

Edward slid in across from me and next to Emmett, who dug into his food like there was no tomorrow.

"Ew, Emmett, that's disgusting," I told him pointedly as he splayed mush all over. Emmett opened his mouth to come up with his retort, but ended up spitting his food onto Edward's lap.

"Emmett! You're so nasty! You got all this cra-," he trailed off when he noticed my gaze before continuing, "cra……ab cakes on my clothes," he mumbled.

"Very good, Edward!" I said sarcastically while he rolled his eyes and tried getting the food out of his clothes.

"Hey Edward. Sergeant Banner wants to see you. Now," Jasper added as he slid onto the bench to sit beside me.

"What did I do now? Fu… fudge him." Edward got up – looking very pissed, might I add – and stomped out the doors of the mess hall.

"Who's this Sergeant Banner?"

"A dickhead!" Emmett answered. Jasper simply nodded in agreement, so I just rolled my eyes at their cryptic answer.

Edward was gone all throughout lunch, and I was starting to worry.

Before I could ask Jasper if he knew something, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Ah, Bella, here you are. I've been wondering who you would be sitting with at lunch," she said, giving Emmett a pointed glance. "I see you have very good, um, '_buddies_' here," she grimaced as she watched Emmett practically breathe in his second overflowing tray. "Anyway, I'd like to have a word with you." She started walking towards the door and threw over her shoulder while I sat, "In my office."

And this caused all the guys at the table to '_oohhh_', to which Esme glared.

Pretty impressive for such a heartfelt woman.

I got up and followed her, practically running to keep up with her fast pace.

"Bella," she turned to me once her office doors were closed, "have I thoroughly explained how our visiting days work?"

"Um, I guess," I shrugged, not really recalling.

"Well, we like being able to surprise you kids, so visiting days are quite random. But, your visitor said it was very urgent, so I decided you deserve a little treat," she said with a smile.

I must have looked pretty damn confused, because she just chuckled to herself.

"Bella, I'm trying to tell you that you have a visitor."

"Oh! Who?!"

She just chuckled. Yeah, keep it up; we'll see how funny it'll be in a few seconds.

"Why don't I let you see for yourself?" She nodded towards a door on the side of the room – not the door we had entered – so I got up and walked over to open it. Just as I was about to turn the knob, Esme spoke up.

"Just remember: you only have a few minutes. After this, right back to Sergeant Banner." I nodded impatiently and swung the door open.

"Bella! I've missed you so much!"

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**A/N: Sorry, I know it's super short, but I've got _no _time at all, and I really wanted to have something. Maybe I'll review next Friday if I can reach 70 reviews! Okay, I'm being ambitious, but whatever!**

**I opened a poll for Iron Grip on my profile for which character(s) should be (re)introduced to the story. I hope it's already showing! Thanks, sorry, umm... okay!**

**!REVIEW!  
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	11. VisitorAgain

**READ A/N AT THE BOTTOM!!!**

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"_Bella! I've missed you so much!" _

I looked around and realized Esme had disappeared. Great. Leave me here to die, why don't

you?

"What are you doing here?" I asked sharply, more venomous than I had intended.

"Uh, visiting you, _duh_!"

"Well, I don't want you here. So just leave."

"I don't think so. Do you know how long I had to wait to visit you Bella? Not fun. I'm here, and you're gonna like me here. Now give your old pal a hug!" My visitor took a step closer.

"Get away!" And I ran straight for the door. Only to find it was locked. Great.

Only I could end up with this kind of luck.

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**EPOV:**

"Edward!" Sergeant Banner barked at me as I entered his office.

"Sit your ass down." He pointed to a chair across from him placed in front of his desk. What could I have possibly done this time?

"So, I hear you have a new roommate?" He stated it as a question.

"Yeah."

"Have you introduced yourself?"

"Uhm hmm."

"Have you actually been using your manners?"

"Yep."

"_Dammit_ Cullen! Stop with these one word answers and _speak_!" He yelled as he slammed his fist on the desk.

"My new roommate is Isabella Swan. If you're asking me to show her the ropes and help her out, Esme already asked me to do that. But I'd be happy to protect her from you," I stated flatly as I stared him in the eye.

His own eyes narrowed back at me and he silently fumed.

"Get out of my office Cullen. And there better be no sass from you come training time, or I'll put you through hell," he threatened.

"Isn't that where I already am?" I asked him as I left his office.

I walked back to the cafeteria and saw that Bella was nowhere in sight.

"Jasper, where's Bella?"

"Chill, man. She's with Esme."

Emmett had that shit eating grin, and I knew a really stupid remark was about to be said from that dumbass brother of mine.

"Why you so worried, huh Eddie? Don't tell me you're wrapped around those fingers of hers already."

"Shut up, Emmett!" I hissed at him.

"Edward, don't use that language in my facility. The next time I hear such vulgar language, you'll be running laps with Sergeant Banner. Do you understand?" I looked up to the voice behind me to find Esme towering over me.

I gulped before answering. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled and went back from the strict headmaster to that warmhearted woman we all loved.

"Thank you Edward. And thank you for taking care of Bella. I know you two will get along very well soon."

I rolled my eyes as I snorted. "No offense, Esme, but I don't ever see that happening."

"Whatever you say, Edward. But when you do become friendly, you better not get _too_ friendly over in those bunks," she said with a wink before walking off. Then I remembered. I got up and chased after her.  
"Esme, wait! Where's Bella? I thought she was with you."

"She had a very important visitor. If you want, you may go wait for her outside of my office."

"I will. Thank you Esme."

I ran outside of the cafeteria to Esme's office and walked in to the anteroom. Seating myself in one of the chairs, I waited for Bella. We were due to meet with Banner in 15 minutes, and I definitely didn't want to be running laps just because this girl had some friend visiting.

I sighed heavily and banged my head against the wall behind me.

Why was I still here waiting for her?

It wouldn't be that hard to find Sgt. Banner; we would just be in the field outside, after all. This felt so ridiculous. My thoughts were ridiculous.

She had her moments of being a bitch, with all her curt and cryptic answers, and her craziness, and her cuteness, and her cadaverousness because she was so pale…

_Dammit_!

Why is it that I could only think of words beginning with C to describe that girl! She annoyed me to no end! Why should I care? I don't care! Forget her! I don't need a girl, or anyone else for that matter.

I got up to leave when I heard the screaming from the other side of the door.

It was Bella's voice.

"Well, I don't want you here. So just leave." There was a muffled reply.

"Get away!"

That's when my brain finally started working and I tried getting into the room, only to find that it was locked.

Great.

Only Bella could have that kind of luck.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Hey! I finally updated! Now I can update regularly because decathlon is done! Visit notsomuch2say's profile, she has amazing stories, like Your Call! Please congratulate her! She won over at the decathlon, just like my decathlete! That means I did I very good job! I almost cired.**

**Anywho, I'm sorry this was short, but i will update again sooner, maybe friday. I have a lot of work to make up for!**

**I will part on a good note:**

**WHO ROCKS THE HOUSE? THE BULLDOGS ROCK THE HOUSE! THEY ROCK IT ALL THE WAY DOWN! WHAT? ALL THE WAY DOWN!**

**GO HFGS GLENDALE DECATHLON TEAM!**

**suck on that losazzz!**

**not you!**

**and if you go to incarnation or cathedral...**

**ignore me.**

**REVIEW!!**

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	12. Jealous?

_Only Bella could have that kind of luck._

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**BPOV:**

I kept trying to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

What was the point? Well, on the bright side, at least it's like I wasn't going to get hurt.

"Can't I get a hug?" I rolled my eyes before turning around.

Chinkz was facing me with his arms outstretched and a wicked glint in his eyes, accompanying his usual smirk.

I rolled my eyes again before stepping forward to give him a hug.

"What are you doing here, Chinkz?"

"Visiting you. _Duh_!" He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, that's pretty obvious." I stepped out of his embrace. "But what I mean is: _I don't want you here!_ If anyone finds out you were involved with the incident at Lauren's house, you're gonna get sent to the clink too."

"Cool. Then I get to be like my favorite role model Bella." He gave me the usual shit-eating grin.

"How're the guys?"

"They've been better. Causing trouble ain't as much fun as it used to be, though."

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. Why can't they try staying out of trouble all together?

"Anyway, I came here in hopes of breaking you outta here." I looked up at him. There's no way he was serious. But he was.

"I'm fine here. Ten months isn't all that bad. No Lauren being one of the perks," I said with a chuckle.

"Well, if I knew that was a perk, then I would've tried harder to get caught by the cops."

Just as our laughter died down, the door had burst open. Why would Esme slam open her own door? She had a key to open it. I turned around to be greeted by a flushed Edward.

His eyes darted to Chinkz's arm draped over my shoulder.

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**EPOV:**

I finally got that damned door open, only to find some guy with his arm wrapped around Bella, and they were _laughing._

They were fucking _laughing_.

I didn't know what the hell was going on.

"Um, Edward, this is my friend Chinkz. Chinkz, this is my roommate Edward," she said as she motioned towards me.

_Roommate_. I guess that's what I was to her, nothing more.

"Yes. _Roommate_," I repeated vehemently.

I nodded to the tall tan boy beside Bella before walking out of Esme's office to Sgt. Banner's field. I shook my head as I ran the laps, wondering where she was and who that guy was to her.

Could he be more than a friend?

Possibly, seeing the way he had his arm around her.

I kept running, trying to get that girl put of my head.

Finally, as soon as it was four o'clock, I was relieved to finally retire to my bunk.

I slammed through the door, not really caring whether Bella was there or not. I grabbed my uniform and headed to the bathroom. Turning on the water as hot as it could get, I climbed into the steaming torrents. The heat relaxed my muscles and I was instantly starting to feel tranquil after all of today's events.

When I was as wrinkled as a prune, I stepped out of the shower and slipped on my shirt, only to realize a shirt was all I brought with me to the bathroom. I ran my hands through my dripping hair before calming down enough to wrap the towel around my waist.

I stepped out of the bathroom and was greeted by the sight of Bella opening the door to her room. I ignored her and walked on.

"Edward," she called out to me. Still ignoring her I passed by her angry expression.

She reached out and grabbed my arm, trying to stop me.

"What?" My reply was harsh. Her expression grew fiercer at my tone.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What _the fuck_ is wrong with _me_?" I asked her incredulously. "There is nothing wrong with me. I don't have a problem."

"Oh, really? Then why did you just storm out of Esme's office earlier, for no damn reason? Why are you so angry with me? You're ready to walk past me without a word and I don't even know why. Explain it to me."

"I don't have to explain a thing to you." I broke out of her grip and headed straight to me room.

"Edward _fucking_ Cullen, you will stay and talk to me about all of your _shit_," she yelled. I scoffed and was ready to open my door.

She flushed even redder and grabbed the towel from around my waist with a tug. And just like that, she had full view of my ass and all of my other, um, _assets_.

Faster than I would've imagined, she ran to my door and stood in front of it, blocking me from entering.

"What. The _fuck_. Is. Wrong. With. You." She was seething now.

"I just didn't like your friend, is all," I mumbled as I looked down at the ground, trying to cover myself up as much as possible.

"Ah, I see. You were jealous." She said with a smirk.

"I wasn't jealous!" I yelled, throwing my hands up. She looked down at my now exposed self and started to blush. I tried covering myself up again. But, I had to admit; being in front of her like this was pretty exciting and really got my blood pumping. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing with her in front of me, so I pushed her out of the way and slammed my door behind me. But I was pretty sure that I was jealous. Not that I wouls tell her that.

"By the way, Edward. You've got some pretty fine _goods_," she said with a life. "The view wasn't all that bad."

I threw on some boxers and opened the door, only to find that Bella was now gone. I opened her door and slammed it quickly.

Oh, _shit._

I leaned my back against the door, trying to calm my breathing. I did _not_ just see that.

But I did.

Sure, it wasn't as good as walking in on her showering, but seeing her in her bra was just as good.

Aw, dammit. Great, looks like I'm in need of another cold shower.

Bella opened her door and I fell onto my back.

"What the fuck?" I mumbled.

"Tsk, tsk. Cussing again, Edward?"

"As I recall, Miss Isabella, you were the first to cuss. Therefore, I win. You are now my slave for a week."

If I could've done it without looking foolish, I would've been cackling like a maniac.

"Fuck." I heard her cuss under her breath, causing me to laugh.

"Well, my first command of the week… hmm, let's see… Aha! Bella, you have to come to the lake with me. We're going skinny dipping." I grinned innocently back at her and watched different emotions pass through her face – shock, anger, resentment, lust, excitement, embarrassment – before anger finally won out.

"No! I will not go skinny dipping with you! I know that I'm a great catch and all," she said sarcastically, "but you have plenty of other choices. All those other girls here are desperate enough to go for you." She finished with a glare.

"Oh, yes, you are joining me. We had a bet, you lost, now you gotta do what I say."

I turned around to head out of the cabin door.

"Wait, right _now_?"

"Yes, right now. So, go get me my towel and we can get on our way."

Oh, yes, I was going to enjoy every second of this week.

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**Sorry bout the late update. I've had writer's block, and I just forced out this chapter, that's why it sucks. Okay, for now, all my stories are HIATUS. **

**I have no reason to update, no incentive, so I won't be updating. I've been having a dry spell, and I'm just not interested in the story anymore. I don't think I'll even continue Iron Grip anymore.**

**Well, thank you for reading as far as this. Enjoy your time on fanfiction!**


	13. Pick Up Lines

**BPOV:**

"Edward! You frickin mhmmmrmm hrhgg hole," I mumbled to myself.

I kept throwing daggers at Edward whenever I looked over my shoulder as I shivered with my arms wrapped around my dripping form.

"After you, milady," the jerk said with a wink as he held the door to our cabin open. "You know, you jumped into the water so fast I never had the chance to see that delicious body of yours." He was wagging his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Well maybe because I didn't want you to see me, you pompous prick. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a nice, warm shower and get away from you." I stuck my tongue out at him as he waved his fingers in a way of saying goodbye.

"You go do that. Waste our world's finite resources, I mean, because the lake water is perfectly clean."

"Whatever," I muttered.

I rushed to my room and quickly grabbed a pair of clothes from the chest before locking the door to the bathroom.

Releasing the breath I had been holding, I twisted the shower knob and turned the water as hot as it would allow until I was enveloped in steam. The pounding water eased the knots in my back as I stepped into the heated torrents and realized I could finally relax.

I let myself review today's events with complete and utter horror and dissatisfaction.

Somehow I ended up in the frigid lake just within the camp's borders, butt naked with Edward frickin Cullen. Under any other circumstance I would have found the situation completely hot, but with Mr. I'm-A-Green-Eyed-God, it was completely humiliating and unbelievably aggravating. Though, I have to hand it to him, he has a body any male model would kill for. Just so _amazing_.

I finally stepped out of the shower when the water started running cold. I got dressed and wrapped the towel around my hair before stepping out and slamming into a giant, hard, laughing thing. Seemed to be a habit now.

I fell flat on my butt and had to crane my neck so far up it seemed it would get stuck that way. And what a big surprise to see Emmett staring down at me, red-faced and laughing so hard he snorted.

"Help me up, asshole." I stuck my hand out for him to help me up and he complied, and then pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

"Emmett, let go, you're crushing me!"

"Haha, sorry Pips," he said before setting me back on the solid ground. Thank goodness for that.

"Pips?"

"Yeah. That's my new nickname for you. Short for Pipsqueak. Haha, get it? Pips, Pipsqueak? It's hilarious, isn't it?"

"Haha, sure," I said flatly.

"Now c'mon, we're about to have ourselves some fun!" And then he dragged me over to Edward's room, nearly ripping my arm from its socket in the process.

"What're we doing?"

"Oh, you'll see," he said with a wicked grin and a mischievous glint in his eye before cackling manically.

He pushed me onto a chair while he sat himself in the other chair and stared at Edward on the bed. This was then succeeded by an awkward silence.

"We. Are. Going. To. Drum roll please."

"Emmett! Hurry up, you idiot!"

"Have a contest! Yay!"

"Not again!" I yelled, which then caused Edward to snicker.

"Okay, well, what's this contest of yours? And why isn't Jasper with you?"

"He's busy sleeping off a hangover. And for our contest, we will see who wins truth or dare!"

"Wow, how original," I said sarcastically.

"Fine, let's see you top that idea."

"Fine. I will. Emmett, try beating this." I wagged my eyebrows at him before beckoning him to come over with my index finger. He looked at me confused before getting up and walking over to me.

"What?" He still looked very lost. It was almost comical.

"I made you come with one finger, imagine what I could do with my whole hand." I said with a wink.

Edward snickered as Emmett blushed and retreated back to his seat.

"So it's pick up lines, eh? Well, two can play at this game since Emmett is, uh, I don't know… shocked. He used to be the master of flirting. Besides me, of course."

"Put up or shut up."

"Okay. Do you have a mirror in your pocket? _Why?_," he said in a bad imitation of a girly voice. "'Cause I could see myself in your pants." And that really got him and Emmett laughing. Emmett was back in the game now.

"Okay, okay, I got one. Congratulations! You've been voted "Most Beautiful Girl In This Room" and the grand prize is a night with me!"

"Oh, gosh. Edward, are you seriously telling me that this boy right here, the giant buff one ridiculously saying horrible pick up lines, was a player?"

"Yes. Don't worry, he's just a little rusty. He hasn't had some one-on-one time with a girl ever since we got in here."

"Like you have."

"Hey, I can satisfy my own needs," he said with a shrug.

"Edward, that's nasty," I told him seriously as I blushed.

"Yeah, but I know you love that," he said with a wink.

"Okay, if you two love birds are done flirting and not about to jump each other's bones, I got another one. It's a real zinger! Do you know what'd look good on you? Me."

"Do you know, your hair and my pillow are perfectly color coordinated?"

"Do you like short love affairs? I hate them. I've got all weekend."

"Do you mind if I stare at you up close instead of from across the room?"

"Do you spit or swallow?"

"Ever tried those weird prickly condoms?"

"Do you wash your panties with Windex? Because I can really see myself in them."

"Excuse me, ma'am, is that dress felt? Would you like it to be?"

""Do you know what winks and screws like a tiger?" (No.) Wink."

"Excuse me, miss, do you give head to strangers? No. Well, then, allow me to introduce myself."

"God must have been in a very good mood the day we met."

"Have you ever played leap frog naked ?"

"Help the homeless. Take me home with you."

"Here's a quarter....call your roommate and tell her you won't be coming home tonight."

"Hey baby, let's play house, you can be the door and I'll slam you!"

"How do you like your eggs cooked? Why? Well I just wanted know what to make for you in the morning!"

"I had a wet dream about you last night. Would you like to make it a reality?"

"I'm Irish. Do you have any Irish in you? Would you like some?"

"Really, Edward? 'Cuz I think that would really explain your red hair..."

Emmett started guffawing and pointing at Edward while pretending to wipe tears from his eyes. Although, he really did look like he was tearing up.

"Let's get back to business. Let's have a party and invite your pants to come on down."

"That outfit would look great in a crumpled heap next to my bed."

"There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you."

"That shirt's very becoming on you. If I were on you, I'd be coming too."

"You have pretty eyeballs. Of course they'd be better if they were eyeing my pretty balls."

"You're good at math right? Is 69 a perfect square?"

"Hey, kitten. How about spending some of your nine lives with me?"

"Have you ever played "Spank the brunette"? Want to try?"

"Okay, yeah, I'm offended by that." I said while crossing my arms over my chest.

"Aw, jeez, Bella, we're joking around here. You know I don't really mean that."

"Mhmm."

"You know I don't think of you in that way."

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Really now?" That caused him to backtrack.

"Not that you're not hot or anything, because honestly if I was offered the chance I would totally agree to do you but I just can't think of you in that way because it would be very unethical with you being my roommate and all."

"Mhmm." I just nodded silently after he finished his little speech and blushed.

"Well, then why don't we move onto lighter things?" Of course I could count on Emmett.

"Do you like whales? Well I have a hump-back at my place. Or maybe 'Are those lumber jack pants your wearing? They are giving me a wood.'" Always the the one to break awkward silences.

"Or how about 'They're only a buck get one before you fu—,"

"Okay Emmett, we get it. Let's try something with milder language."

"Yeah. Like, 'no glove no love'," I chipped in.

"Don't be silly wrap you willy."

"Don't be a fool wrap your tool."

"Don't be a ding-dong cover you shling- shlong."

"Dont be a wenis protect you penis."

"Before you spank her cover your wanker."

"If you're gonna banger cover your wanger."

"If there's gonna be affection cover your erection."

We spent the rest of the night laughing and sharing jokes and more lame pick-up lines. Until Emmett declared that I was the winner.

"Um, okay, but what do I win?"

"I dunno. How about… Edward now has to do whatever you say for three days! Like Simon says!"

"Hmm, I like this. Edward, it's time for payback. I will torture you for that little stunt earlier."

"What little stunt?" Emmett asked, completely curious.

"Nothing!" I screeched.

"Well, I won a little bet we had and I made Bella go skinny-dipping with me."

"Whoa, don't tell me you reached home-base already."

"Yeah, you're really going to pay."

* * *

** I finally updated! Yay! We graduated! Class of '09 rocks!**

**_'09 SO FINE!_**

**I didn't write in the skinny-dipping scene 'cuz I wasn't sure if I should. Just leave a review and tell me if I should incorporate it in a flashback or dream or something.**

**Thanks for reading!!!**

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	14. Cooking Mama

**EPOV:**

"_Yeah, you're really going to pay."_

"Wait, wait. How are we supposed to do that? How can I be her slave when she's my slave?"

"Well…" Emmett paused to think and started tapping his chin in that way he does when he's really deep in concentration.

"How about… Bella, tomorrow you'll do whatever Edward says, and in turn, the next day he's all yours. And then you two should just end it there, 'cuz I don't want to have to start mopping up blood already."

Bella glanced at me and shrugged her shoulders. "Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, sure." I just nodded.

"Well then, now that that's resolved, I must go back to our cabin for some shut eye. And I really need to make sure that Jasper didn't vomit all over the place nursing that hangover. You know how he gets, Eddie." Emmett chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, I know. And please stop calling me 'Eddie'. Haha, Bella, there's something you should know about Jasper – he can't hold his alcohol for shit."

Soon after, Emmett left and Bella drifted to her room after saying good night.

Instead of falling asleep, I just stared up at the ceiling, thinking of some random notes I could play the next time Esme let me play her piano…

* * *

The next thing I knew, Bella was yelling at me to get up and into the shower. Grumbling, I waved my hand at her and rolled over onto my stomach.

"Edward, get up or I will _make _you get up!" She shouted.

"Nooo…" but the protest died on my lips.

Suddenly there was a draft and I turned my head enough to peek through my half opened eyelid to see Bella dropping my blanket to the floor and walk over to me.

"What're you doin'?" She didn't answer me as she leant down next to me ear, her lips barely brushing my skin.

"Edward," she purred, and then yelled, "_GET THE FUCK UP!!!_" And she grabbed my arm and pulled me off the bed so that I fell on my butt.

"Ow," I said looking up at her to scowl.

"That's what you get. Not hurry up so we can eat."

"But you hurt my ass." Whining wasn't something I usually did, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Yeah, and you are an ass." She huffed before walking off.

I was able to shower and make myself presentable in a mere four minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

"Ready to go, boss?" Bella asked, looking smug.

"Sure am." I swung my arm around her shoulder and squished her to my side.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She mumbled gloomily.

"Okay, so I take it that you're not ready. Am I right?"

"Bull's-eye."

We talked animatedly about last night's shindig and laughed at how Emmett blushed at first when Bella used that pick up line on him.

"I'm curious, how come you called on Emmett and not me? That really hurts my feelings." I turned the full power of my pout on her, with wide, watery eyes and my lower lip sticking out and trembling.

"You're too stubborn to have walked to me."

"Eh, that's true," I said with a shrug.

We walked into the mess hall with a frantic looking Esme shushing more people than she could handle and Carlisle behind the counter in the kitchen trying to cook it seemed. All I saw was smoke.

"Don't worry, your food will be ready soon," Esme said in a reassuring voice, but the look in her eyes was anything but reassuring.

"What's wrong, Esme?"

Carlisle can't cook jack," she muttered before looking up at me and sighing.

"The cook is out sick and we can't feed everybody quick enough." She groaned and fisted her hands in her hair.

"Well, Esme, I can cook. Let me help out Carlisle," Bella volunteered.

Esme smiled warmly and saying she looked relieved would be an understatement.

"Thank you Bella." She pushed the both of us into the kitchen and came back dragging Emmett and a sullen looking Jasper in by their ears.

"Okay boys, all of you will listen to Bella. Follow your captain's orders. It is," she glanced down at her watch, "nearly oh-six hundred hours. Better listen well. That will be all." She saluted us before blowing her whistle, effectively quieting the whole room, and marching out the doors.

"Okay, get on your aprons and hair nets, wash your hands. Emmett, Jasper, crack all those eggs in those two cartons there and make sure you don't get any of the shells in there. And you have to make sure you whisk it effectively. Carlisle, can you please start opening those packages and slicing the bacon. Edward, I need you to pour oil on the pans please, and make sure you spread it evenly so the food doesn't burn."

"And what will you be doing Miss Swan?" Carlisle asked.

"I will be cooking the pancakes." We all gasped.

I finally spoke up. "No one has attempted that here, it's so dangerous, so hard and messy, and so many of us."

"Whatever," she said while rolling her eyes. "Emmett, can you please help me carry in the bags of flour and stuff."

"Yup." He sighed in relief that he was able to get away from the tortuous job of cracking eggs. They quickly brought in all the bags and Bella measured everything quickly and accurately before mixing it in together.

"Carlisle, you can scramble the eggs, right?"

"Umm…"

"Bella, please, let me," Jasper cut in. "I grew up on a farm, eggs and their cooking are like second nature to me, doll," he said while winking at her.

I almost growled, but I quickly bit it back.

"Why, thank you. Emmett, can you help Carlisle start frying the bacon? Just make sure they don't burn."

Everyone around me was working and moving quickly while I just stood there, feeling out of place.

"Edward, I need you." I looked up and rushed to her side.

"Help me pour in the batter; I need to stir up another batch. Please try making sure they're even. I'll be finished mixing it in time for you to flip them."

It was amazing how well I was able to do it, and Bella was by my side flipping the pancakes before they could burn.

We were able to serve everyone breakfast in under fifteen minutes, amazingly.

Esme walked in not too long after, a look of wonder plastered across her face.

"Bella, how'd you do this? You know, the cook was saying he was going to be on his vacation now, and we need a replacement… Bella, do you think you could help us out just a little bit longer? I promise it will be worth your while, I can take a month off your sentence."

The look of concentration was clearly etched on her face, and when she looked up she was glowing.

"Esme, I'd loved to do it."

"Oh, thank you dear," she said as she enveloped her in a hug. "Just make sure you and the boys get up an earlier fifteen minutes."

"Wait, whaaa?"

"Well, you her crew, you're in it together." She winked at us as we groaned in unison.

She started walking out before she turned around to call over her shoulder,

"Carlisle, I need your help. And Emmett, good job. We have a surprise for you."

The big lug seemed to shine at her compliment and started bouncing in his place.

"What's my surprise?" He was more eager than a little kid hyped up at seeing a toy commercial.

"Calm down, Mr. McCarty. You'll see, it's only a matter of time."

"Wonder what that was about," Jasper mumbled as he rubbed his swollen eye.

"So, feeling a little more sober?" Bella chuckled.

"Why, yes, I am." I was uncomfortable with how close he was inching toward Bella, especially when she started batting her eyelashes at him. I suddenly realized they were flirting.

"Well, after all, you are one hot cooking mama."

I rolled my eyes and 'accidentally' spilled my still steaming hot eggs onto Jasper's lap.

"Holy _shit_!" he yelled, jumping up and down as the eggs burned his favorite appendage.

"What the fuck is your problem, Edward?" He huffed as he started wiping the food off his pants very gently.

I couldn't help but chuckle, but it soon died when Bella got a napkin and started helping wipe the eggs off of Jasper herself. And I'm _very_ sure that lil' Jasper noticed she was helping him. He grew rigid in his seat as Bella kept brushing her hand over his crotch.

"Okay Bella, I think you got the stain out." I said through gritted teeth.

"No, I think you missed a spot," Emmett said while laughing.

"Where?"

"Right there," he said while pointing. "But I think you should put a little more elbow grease into it and rub harder."

"Thank you for your help, Emmett," I practically shouted. "Bella, I'm pretty sure Jasper's pants are clean enough.

"Yeah, so clean she can see herself in them, right?" Emmett guffawed and I kicked his shin hard under the table.

When Bella finally was back in her seat and had finished trying to scrub Jasper's pants into oblivion, Jasper was flushed and panting heavily and tried adjusting himself.

"Hope you enjoyed that, you bastard," I muttered into his ear.

"Oh, I did," he said, mostly to himself.

We finally started making our way to class when Esme appeared, with some wonderful news or something.

"Well, I just wanted you to meet your new… buddy." She gave her usual mega watt smile before continuing.

A tall, lanky figure materialized beside her.

"I'd like you all to meet Jacob Black."

* * *

**A/N: I will try my best to update once a week at the most. And each time I upload a chapter for Iron Grip, I will write a chapter for a new story I am starting, which I won't upload until I have finished writing it. So if you actually like Rosalie, or you just want some Emmett in there, you should definitely click the button down there that says"**

**_AUTHOR ALERT_**

**Please review, and thank you for reading! And Kit Kat, please don't upload that graduation clip. Oh, make sure you check out notsomuch2say's channel on my faves! Thank you!**

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	15. Chapter 15

**BPOV:**

Today seemed like it would go fairly well…

I got up, got dressed, had my fun waking Edward up, I helped make breakfast – and had fun doing it too – with the hope of getting a month knocked off my sentencing.

And then things started going downhill when Jasper got eggs on his pants.

Esme brought over Jacob Black. He seemed so familiar, and I know I've heard that name before, I just couldn't remember where it was from.

His dark eyes had a strange glint to them, something worse than malice. They slid over Edward's glare and met mine, and his grin grew more pronounced. His look was so uncomfortable, and I couldn't help but squirm.

Before walking off as Esme left him to us, he gave me this wink that made me shudder.

As he got to Mike Newton's table and gave him a g-hug, I finally realized where I recognized him from.

* * *

**EPOV:**

When that Jacob guy sat over at Mike's table, I couldn't help but notice as Bella blanched.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I laid a hand on her shoulder and shook lightly, but she didn't respond.

She just shook her head before getting up and avoided me for the rest of the day until we were back in our bunks.

I walked over t o her closed door, hesitating slightly before knocking.

"Bella, please open up and tell me what's going on." I waited for a few moments before giving up. If she didn't want to talk about what was bothering her, then I couldn't force her.

Deciding to give up, I started walking back to my room when I heard the door open.

"Sorry Edward."

I turned back to look at her, but all I could see was confusion and sadness etched in her face.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

I just nodded, but a message seemed to be conveyed between us in the silence.

_I'm here if you need me._

* * *

**BPOV:**

The days seemed to pass by, each one blending into the next.

Edward never pushed me for information, and I never shared any.

_Jacob Black_.

He was _the_ Jacob Black, the one from my childhood memories.

He was the one who I had made mud pies with so long ago.

He was the one who dared me to eat glue.

He was the one who kissed my boo-boos whenever I fell off the swing.

He was my best friend in preschool.

It was like he didn't change. As the days passed by, I could identify the little boy I had once known in him. His features were sharper now, and he was taller and bulkier, now muscular and could give Edward a run for his money. And he was _hot_.

The girl in me was too shy to approach him and ask if he remembered me, and another part seemed to warn me to stay away.

But it seemed as if he recognized me at least to have smiled and winked at me that first day.

I shook those thoughts out of my head as Esme walked to our table. I honestly had lost track of all the days I've been here. It's probably been about three weeks now…

"Hello, Esme," I said pleasantly.

"Hello, dear." She nodded back at me before turning her attention back to the guys. "Boys, I expect that you've been treating Bella with respect as _gentlemen_. She is, after all, a lady," she chuckled as she winked at me.

"Well Esme, I'm sure that you're not here for a social visit. So what's up?" That was Edward, too impatient to wait for her to tell us.

"I actually came here for Emmett. He needs to come with me."

Emmett looked confused, but when Esme looked at him she seemed absolutely happy, though her look to us was one of sympathy.

I didn't completely understand, but things definitely weren't good.

"It's about that surprise I had told you about awhile back."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short, but I'm really not in the mood. Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**BPOV:**

Emmett followed Esme out of the cafeteria to go outside and walked alongside her, listening as she spoke. He stopped abruptly and Esme was already a few steps ahead of him when he stopped, causing her to walk back to him.

The rest of us, being the nosy little suckers that we were, ran over and pressed our noses against the window, fogging up the cool glass with our warm breaths.

With the fogged up window I was barely able to make out Emmett launching himself at Esme, crushing her into his usual big bear hug.

I could almost swear he was crying…

He grabbed Esme's hand and pretty much dragged her back to her office as he ran.

"What the fuck?" Edward mumbled to himself as he scratched his hair, further messing up his already ruffled hair.

We all headed back to our appropriate tables, silently contemplating what we had just witnessed.

For the rest of the day Emmett remained M.I.A. When he didn't come in for dinner I started getting worried.

"Edward," I whispered to him from across the table. He was to busy munching on his cob of corn to hear me.

"Edward!" I hissed again. Still no response.

I scooped the green mush known as peas onto my spoon and launched them directly onto Edward's nose.

Bull's-eye.

I started laughing as it slid down to his chin and then onto his tray, effectively splashing the gravy for the potatoes.

"What was that for? If this stuff got splattered on someone else it would have started a food fight. A food _war_ for crying out loud. Or is that what you were trying to do?"

Whoa, why was _he_ getting mad at _me_? He was the one that was unresponsive.

"Well, as boring as this place is, and as much as I would like to shake things up a bit, I was trying to _get your attention_. Okay?"

"Well you could've called me like any other regular person."

"I did, but you're too deaf. When was the last time you cleaned your ears?"

"Hey, my ears are clean!"

"Oh, really? Uh huh, I doubt it." I reached across the table and grabbed Edward's face and dragged it closer to mine so that our noses were barley an inch a part.

His breathing started to get shallow, and I smirked internally.

All boys are the same.

I vaguely felt Jasper's eyes, and those of pretty much the whole cafeteria, on us.

I leaned in just a bit closer…

* * *

**Hahaha, I'm sorry this is so short, but I really got in the mood, and I promise it's not just a filler. The Next Chapter is Edward's POV. Let's see what he thinks....**

**Hmm, what'll happen next? We must wait and see! And there are only a few more chapters left. I don't know how many exactly, but just a couple. The climax is coming up!**

**And I need reviews!!!**

**Give me 10 reviews, just 10, and I'll update to the next chapter to kill the suspense!**

**And whoever guesses correctly what will happen next, any part, not just between Bella and Edward, then you get a sneak peek!**

**And thank you for reading!**

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	17. Chapter 17

**EPOV:**

She grabbed my face and came close to me. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent that was her.

I've grown so accustomed to it lately, like if I don't smell it, my day just isn't complete.

It's been a long three weeks having her here, but they've been nice weeks, even more fun and memorable than when it was just me and the guys.

I opened my eyes and she was even closer than before. My breathing was getting ragged. If she moved her head just a little more, or if I moved forward, if we got closer…

All of a sudden the lyrics filled my head…

_Turn the lights off in this place_

_And she shines just like a star_

_And I swear I know her face_

_I just don't know who you are_

_Turn the music up in here_

_I still hear her loud and clear_

_Like she's right there in my ear_

_Telling me that _

_She wants to own me_

_To control me _

_Come closer_

_Come closer_

_And I just can't pull myself away_

_Under her spell I can't break_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop _

_And I just can't bring myself away_

_But I don't want to escape_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I can feel her on my skin_

_I can taste her on my tongue_

_She's the sweetest taste of sin_

_The more I get the more I want_

_She wants to own me_

_Come closer _

_She says "come closer"_

_And I just can't pull myself away_

_Under her spell I can't break_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop _

_And I just can't bring myself away_

_But I don't want to escape_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_(Come closer) _

_I just can't stop nooooo_

_I just can't stop nooooo_

_I just can't stop nooooo_

_I just can't stop nooooo _

_And I just can't pull myself away_

_Under her spell I can't break_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop _

_And I just can't bring myself away_

_But I don't want to escape_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_And I just can't pull myself away_

_Under her spell I can't break_

_I just can't stop _

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_I just can't stop_

_come closer _

A little less than inch, just a little bit more.

Why did she torture me this way?

She abruptly twisted my head to the left and started pulling at my ear lobe.

What was she doing?

Why wasn't she kissing me?

Where was that laughter coming from?

Damn Jasper!

"My, my, my, Edward, tsk, tsk, if only you could look at your ears. As cute as they are, they are _dirty_. Didn't you tell me that you had just cleaned them? Looks like a forest with living creatures and everything in here. No wonder you can't here me. It's like… it's like in Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! Haha, you could have a bunch of little people living in your ear fuzz!"

The whole table snickered.

"Okay, are you done embarrassing me yet?" I huffed in annoyance as I broke my head away from her grip and ran my hand through my hair.

"Wait, hold on Eddie, let me look at your cute, dirty ears," Jasper snickered.

"Watch it, buddy," I snarled at him. I guess I wasn't that threatening since I've now been dubbed as the Fuzz Factory and the Ear version of Horton.

Great.

I guess I better expect a giant blue elephant to pop out of nowhere and protect me from vultures and talking monkeys.

Ain't my life quite the fairytale?

I sighed and got back to eating my dinner

When Emmett stepped through the door, looking excited and anxious all at once.

"Em, what's wrong?"

He just shook his head, looking dazed.

He refused to eat, so something big must've happened.

We stepped out of the cafeteria doors.

Something past me seemed to break Emmett's stupor, because he burst into life instantly.

He started running and the next thing I knew he was swinging some girl with long blonde hair around in a circle while she planted kisses all over his face.

"Rosie, oh, Rosie baby, I missed you so much."

I was so confused at this point. It didn't really seem to add up. When did he have someone on the outside?

When their little reunion seemed to have calmed down, Emmett walked back to me, Jasper, and Bella with a dumbass grin on his face and the blonde in tow.

"You guys, Eddie, this is Rose, my girlfriend." She beamed at us when he said girlfriend, and they seemed to be glowing.

"Rosalie Hale, nice to meet you," she said as she extended her hand to me. Her smile faltered as I stared blankly at her hand before shaking Bella's hand and exchanging greetings. Over her gold locks Emmett sent me a death glare.

"Rosie, this is my rude brother, Edward Cullen. I'm terribly sorry for his atrocious behavior."

I was terribly sorry for his atrociously good manners. This wasn't the same Emmett I had grown up with. He was… he was, almost, he was almost _polite,_ and acting like a _gentleman._

"Cullen? Em, I thought your last name was Masen?"

"It is, but Edward changed it to Cullen after Esme and Carlisle adopted him?"

I glanced at Bella and she seemed surprise. I could tell she was going to store that away to ask me later.

"Hmm," she just said with a nod as she had her arm wrapped around his waist.

"Hold on, you're Rosalie Hale, as in _the _Rosalie Hale we went to school with?"

"Yes."

"Emmett, I didn't even know you were dating, much less that your girlfriend is the school's slut!"

"Edward, shut up! Don't talk about her that way, I love her. But hen again, I guess you wouldn't know anything about that, since you're too busy making trouble and dragging people down with you!"

I turned away. His words were like a slap in the face. It wasn't like I asked him to fight with me. He made his own decisions.

And here my brother was, the world's biggest player that I knew of, talking about _love_.

You think you know a guy, and then this kind of thing happens.

I just shook my head.

"Em, baby, calm down."

From my peripherals I could see Emmett was still shaking from anger until he nodded.

"Yes," his tone was clipped and curt, "There is a reason why Rose is here. We have some very important news. It regards the both of us, and because you're so important to me, I thought it's best if I tell you in person rather than have Esme be the messenger. It's really big Edward. You need to listen."

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**Review!!!! Please, more than just 'update soon' or 'that was nice'. Please, make it a little more personal, you guys sound like robots, no offense.**

**Anyway, anyone wanna guess what Emmett's gonna say?**

**Listen up! If you:**

**1.) Guess what Emmett is going to say correctly  
or  
2.) you saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen  
or  
3.) you're going to the San Diego Comic Con International**

**I will give you a free preview sneek peek whatever of the next chapter!**

**And I will update right away if I hit 150 reviews. I know, the pessimist is being optimistic. Review!!!! Thank you for reading!**


	18. The LongAwaited Big News

**Finally I reached 150 reviews. Do you guys think you can beat that? Please? Enjoy the story!**

**And I'm sorry for my lack of response to reviews. No more sneak peeks, you'll just have to be patient! Enjoy the chapter!**

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BPOV:

"_It's really big Edward. You need to listen."_

I glanced at Edward, who still held a grimace. He turned away, but I could tell he was listening carefully.

"Edward, the reason _Rosalie_ is here is because she's picking me up. I'm leaving. My sentence is up; I'm getting an early leave. I trust that you'll behave properly. When you get out you'll be staying with me and Rose, so you need to treat her with respect... Edward, are you listening?" He seemed satisfied with Edward's nod and continued with his rant. "I'll be back in a few months to pick you and Jasper up. But Alice will probably do that because she insists that she needs to spend as much time with you as possible."

Both Edward and Emmett rolled their eyes while Jasper, Rosalie and I stood there looking confused with their actions.

Edward sighed then turned to Rosalie.

"Rosalie, I'm sorry," he said through gritted teeth. She nodded and shook his outstretched hand.

Things seemed resolved between Edward and Emmett, at least for now. Emmett hugged each of us in turn, and I even got a hug from Rosalie.

She winked and whispered to me before leaving, "Us girls gotta stick together when it comes to standing by our men." She glanced at Edward then back to me. It took a couple of seconds for me to realize what she was trying to say.

"Oh, no, I mean, no. He… and… I… us… no... not, whaa?"

She laughed before wrapping herself around Emmett. I watched as they left towards a red convertible. As they were going through the gate, I saw Emmett turn back to wave, practically falling out of the car with his exuberance.

I looked at Edward, but he was stoic.

"Edward, are you alright?" All I got was a quick nod before he disappeared. I stood there with Jasper. He just shrugged and then trudged back to the cafeteria. I was left alone, so I decided to follow suit.

I seated myself next to Jasper so that we were across from Eric, Tyler, and Ben.

"I'm going to miss that big ole lug," Jasper mumbled before going back to his food.

I sighed and then went to picking at my food.

* * *

The water got cold, so the only solution was for me to step out of the shower. I quickly stepped into my clothes and tried drying my hair with the towel. I shook out my mane of hair before stepping out of the bathroom.

The warmth of my bed never looked so inviting.

Edward had been gone the whole evening, so when I got back to the cabin the first thing I did was check his room. When I found he wasn't there, panic set in.

But Edward was a big boy; he would come back when he wanted to. If he wasn't back by the time we would have to go off to breakfast, then I would have to report this to Esme.

I snuggled further into my blankets. As I was drifting off to sleep, the days events seemed to hit me full force, the sadness of Emmett's leaving, and it all turned into a nightmare.

* * *

"_Bella, what're you up to?" _

"_Not much, I'm just checking out a list of colleges I need to apply to."_

_I turned around to face James, the cool summer air of Forks blowing around his shaggy golden hair. The clouds above decided to be merciful and not pelt us with rain, but not merciful enough to let the sun say hi. It was days like this that I missed Phoenix. We used to have so much fun there when we went over for summer vacations. It was too bad that we couldn't do it this summer, because the pressure of getting into a good college was too much. Renee had insisted that I spend every waking second studying rather than spend it with Chinkz and the guys._

_I sighed before turning back to the computer._

_James huffed and leaned his head in further through the window, trying to peek at what college's website was currently on the screen._

"_James, stop being so nosy!" I chastised him._

_He just rolled my eyes. "Well, you know, you could always let me in," he said sarcastically._

"_Shouldn't you be somewhere else? Like, I don't know, training? You signed up for the internship down at the station so you could learn, not ditch and come here to annoy the crap out of me." I was so tempted to stomp over to where he was and close the window in his face then draw the curtains. But, of course, that would be rude, and because it was James, Charlie would definitely hear of my 'rudeness' and get mad for me trying to inflict harm upon his future deputy._

"_Bella, why won't you let me in?" I rolled my eyes at his question._

_Why _would_ I? He was so stupid sometimes._

_I can't even recall how many times I've turned him down for dates. And yet he still insists on asking. I don't even like his company, but he still hangs around._

_Some people just can't take a hint._

"_Bella-,"_

"_James, just shut the fuck up!" I gave into the temptation and slammed the window shut, and the force was enough that the glass quivered for a few seconds._

_James looked so pissed and was ready to yank the window open, but I quickly twisted the lock before pulling the curtains together._

_I then ran to the door and pulled all the locks, I even grabbed a chair and pushed the back against the knob just as I heard him pounding and hollering from the other side._

_I ran back to the window and grabbed some clothespins to keep the curtains closed. _

_Running around the whole house, I locked every window and door to each room that I wasn't in._

_By the time I got back to my desk I was panting, not just from the running, but from pure fear. An angry James wasn't something anybody should mess with._

_I laid my head down on my arms and closed my eyes next to the computer, just for a second, only a second…_

* * *

"_Bella! Bella, open up!" I startled awake and fell out of my seat._

_James was back!_

_Or, that's what I thought._

"_Bella, open up! What's wrong with the door?"_

_I laughed hysterically to myself for thinking it was James. It was just Charlie. I looked at the clock on the wall as I walked to the front door. It was 7:00 already. I had been sleeping for a long time. _

"_Bella! Are you alright?"_

_I quickly removed the chair and opened the door for Charlie._

"_Bella, I was so worried something happened. Are you alright?" He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a firm squeeze as I nodded._

"_Don't ever scare me like that again, do you hear me? Now, what happened?"_

"_Nothing, dad, I just got worried. I thought I heard something. It was probably just a raccoon or something." I lied quickly._

"_The next time that happens, you call me, okay? That way I can send someone over, like Deputy Mark." I just nodded, while inside I thought to myself that Deputy Mark wouldn't be able to come over to check on the disturbance, because he would already be here as the disturbance._

_Because it was James. Deputy James Mark._

_I sighed before walking into the kitchen._

"_Are you okay with pizza? I fell asleep and couldn't start dinner."_

"_That's fine, Bells. Your mom should be home soon. She said there was some traffic coming back from the office." I just nodded and got to work quickly calling the pizza parlor._

* * *

_I woke up the next morning with a note on the table:_

_We both left before you could wake up.  
Sorry for not saying goodbye first.  
__Just call the station if there's a problem  
or call my office if you need something.  
__Just tell Heidi, the new secretary that you're Bella,  
my daughter, and she'll direct you to my number.  
__And keep your phone with you in case we  
need to reach you and you're out.  
__Be careful.  
__- Hugs and kisses, Mom._

_P.S. Your father said that he needs you  
to pick up the newspaper from the lawn so that if  
i__t rains it won't get ruined. You know how he is._

_- XOXO again._

_I crumpled the note and shoved it into my pocket with my phone. _

_I pulled the sash around my robe so that it was tighter and would cover my camisole and at least part of my teddy bear sleep wear. How embarrassing if they saw my pants were like that of a little kid. Renee was already embarrassed enough as it is that I never wore her gifts of Victoria's Secret pajamas and lingerie._

_But, of course, that's expected of someone who designs clothing and has her own building in Port Angeles. _

_Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and combing my fingers through my hair quickly, I stepped outside to grab the newspaper._

_As I bent down to retrieve the soggy roll, I was carried away by someone much bigger than me who put a hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream._

_Duct tape was put over my mouth and a cloth was placed over my eyes. What felt like more tape was wrapped around my hands and feet._

_I tried screaming through the tape, which resulted in a slap._

"_Shh!"_

_I was trembling in fear._

_Could I call 911? _

_I had my phone in my pocket, but whoever had me might see what I was trying to do. I would just have to be okay with sitting and waiting._

_What felt like hours later I was being dragged out of the car into a building I guess, but it sounded secluded, the only sound was the crunch of leaves beneath our feet._

_I was pushed onto the ground and the cloth was removed from my eyes. It was too dark for me to see who was in front of me, but the voice spoke._

"_If you promise not to scream, I promise I'll remove the tape and you won't get hurt."_

_I just nodded and recognized the voice as James'._

_He pulled of the tape from my mouth and I started gasping for air, trying not to have a breakdown in front of him. It would only fuel his pleasure and probably end up annoying him after awhile._

"_Bella, you've been very rude lately, and you're here now so that I can take what's mine."_

_In the dark I could only see some faint light being reflected into his predator-like eyes and the glint of his white teeth pulled into a horrific grin._

_I turned my face away as he started stroking my cheek._

_He grabbed my by my hair and dragged me up, holding my arm at a strange, painful contortion so that I couldn't escape without dislocating my shoulder._

"_You know, I haven't appreciated your disobedience as of late. So now you'll have to be punished."_

_He threw me to the ground, and I heard a snap ringing in my ears as my arm broke. _

_I wasn't a doctor, but I was pretty sure of my diagnosis. _

_Grabbing the back of my robe he dragged me to a corner and tried prying the cloth from my body._

"_No!" I started kicking and pushing at him as he got the robe off and he used one hand to hold both of my wrists together._

_One hand came down on my throat, cutting off my air supply and effectively stopping my screaming._

"_Shut the fuck up."_

_He let go of my neck to slap me before moving his hand down to my waist. Pushing up my shirt, he grasped at me exposed skin, leaving a bruise, I'm sure._

"_No! Stop, no, no, just stop!"_

_His hand went to the ties of my pants…_

I woke up with someone holding me by the tops of my arms, shaking me.

"No, no! Let me go!" I kept struggling until a hand came down on my mouth.

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**A/N: Haha, it's a little longer. I know my chapters have been short lately, but it's that or nothing.**

**Anyway, now you've got a peek into Bella's past. Well, whatever happened before she met Edward, or before she even became who she is, tough and smart-assed.**

**Please review! And thank you for reading!**


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